Avenue Q Squared
by gottalovepixar
Summary: Avenue Q- Who knows what can happen when a B.A. in English and Theater unite? A fan fiction of how Princeton finds his true purpose in life, rated for Avenue Q-ness! Abandoned
1. Overture

_"Avenue Q" is owned by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. Jeff Whitty wrote the book. I own Ginger Robyns. Please read "Stuck Between A Laundry Basket and A Cardboard Box" to fully understand this fan fiction. Also, if you see avenue Q it might help, but I' haven't been so lucky yet, I'm only reading wikipedia summaries and watching you-tube videos to write this.._

_--_

It was the first day of summer on Avenue Q. Nobody could have wished for a more beautiful day. It wasn't too hot or too cold, and everyone was sitting on the steps of the apartments, even Brian and Christmas Eve had come to visit their friends on the street. Every one was in a happy mood.. well, _almost_ everyone..

Rod was in a somewhat grumpy mood that day, which wasn't as often as it used to be before he had come out of the closet. His steady boyfriend of eight months, Ricky, had forgotten the two had bought tickets to see "RENT" and had accidentally forgotten to check his work schedule, which just so happened to say that Ricky had to work from two through closing at his current job that very night. This meant Rod was stuck with two orchestra tickets and nobody to go with, after all, Nicky hated any musical except for Sweeney Todd (he loved anything with blood), and Rod hated going to a musical alone, it just wasn't as fun as it was when you go with somebody. So now Rod was stuck sulking and wondering if he should just stand in front of the Nederlander and sell the tickets.

"Would you stop sulking and just go Rod?" Nicky pushed his friend on the shoulder playfully.

"No! There's no point in going to see a musical alone, then you have nobody to talk about it afterwords."

"Then give me the tickets," Brian suggested, "I'll sell them for a decent price."

"And why would I do that?"Rod scoffed,"You'd probably take half the money!"

"You have a point," Christmas Eve said,"Either that, or he would take it all and spend in on a rottery ticket, since clazy man think all his dreams come tlue on something that cost two dorrars!"

"Oh come on, I did that one time!" Brian whined to his wife. Suddenly, the gorup heard a loud bang on the corner of the street.

"Oh, fuck!" A red-head shouted as she tried to pick up all of her belongings. Her suitcase had opened by mistake, leaving all of her clothes on the ground to get dirty. Trekkie Monster noticed a small pink bra on the ground from his window.

"Mmm," Trekkie said excitingly.

"Pervert!" The young woman shouted as she threw it in her case, "Do I look like a Lovely Lady from Les Mis to you?" as soon as Rod heard the comment, he quickly looked up, his face going from sad to happy in a matter of milliseconds.

"I know that musical theatre reference from anywhere!" He smiled at the girl, who also seemed to notice him.

"Roddy!" She ran to him, leaving some articles of clothing on the street," Thank Goodness, I was getting worried that I hadn't taken the right subway!"She hugged him tightly squealing with glee and excitement.

"Ginger, it's Avenue Q, you go on the Q, how hard is that?Wait a minute, how'd you know I live here?"

"Ahem," Ginger cleared her throat," December 16, 1995, 'If you ever need anything just call, I'm on Avenue Q, take the subway, it's not that hard'."

"Wow," Princeton replied, who was sitting next to Kate Monster on the stairs,"someone is good at memorizing."

"I have a B.A. in Theater, what do you expect?" she laughed at his comment.

"That right, you graduated this year! I always forget, since you skipped a grade and all," Rod said.

"And that's why here. You see," Ginger explained," It's kind of hard getting an acting job first thing out of college, and since my favorite cousin in the whole world is the only one in my family who lives in New York City and loves me.. I was wondering if he would let me stay."

"Ginger, I have enough people living in my apartment as it is-"

"Puh-lease, Roddy! If you say 'no', I'm stuck on the street!" Ginger gave him a puppy-dog pout.

"No! That worked when you were 13, but now it's just immature.." Rod crossed his arms.

"Well, then i think this-" she took out her cell phone"-will work."

"You wouldn't!"

"She's the first on speed dial, Rod. And I think you're forgetting how much Ya-ya cares about her grand children's future," Ginger smirked with satisfaction, she knew how much Rod hated getting yelled at by Ya-ya, especially since a majority of her yelling was in Greek.

"Oh, alright! But once you get a job you're paying for a part of the rent," As soon as he said the word, Rod remembered the extra ticket, "and put something nice on."

"Why?"

"I have two tickets to 'RENT' and I refuse to go with a stranger!" Rod smiled as he threw her his keys, "You make a mess and you're dead!"

"I missed you and your neat freakiness, Rod," Ginger said as she grabbed the rest of the clothes and ran up the stairs to the front door.

"And I missed you're crazy amount of perk."

Once Nicky heard Ginger close the door, he turned to Rod, "Your cousin's hot!"

"Go get your weekly one night stand from someone else, Nicky!" Rod yelled at him sternly.


	2. New York, New York

Before we begin the next chapter for Avenue Q², I'd like to thank UsagiMonster for the nice review! May the musical theater gods sprinkle you with tickets to your favorite musical..lol

Oh,and just a setting reminder since I forgot to put it in the first chapter, this fanfiction takes place in the summer of 1998, since the only way for this thing to work is if what actually happened in the musical took place in 1997. besides, i think that's when they started to work on the musical in the first place. it was 1999 .. one of those years!

_"Avenue Q" is owned by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. Jeff Whitty wrote the book. I own Ginger Robyns. Please read "Stuck Between A Laundry Basket and A Cardboard Box" to fully understand this fan fiction. Also, if you see "Avenue Q" it might help, but I' haven't been so lucky yet, I'm only reading wikipedia summaries and watching you-tube videos to write this.._

--

"Why does she get to move in so quickly, Rod?" Nicky asked as he flipped through the channels with the remote. Him and Rod were both sitting there, just staring at what Rod like to call the 'boob tube',"I had to beg you for weeks to even let me move back in because I said you were a closeted homosexual!"

"It's simple really," Rod walked into the kitchen, which wasn't that far from the couch, to grab a can of soda in the fridge. He popped it open and took a sip," Ginger and I have been close since she popped out of her mother's uterus, and it's either she lives with me-" Nicky made a coughing noise, "-us, or lives on the street."

Nicky shrugged in return, not moving his eyes from the television, which was now on 'America's Funniest Home Videos', "So what? She'll get some character that way."

"And with a body like that, a job in the prostitution business too," Rod muttered softly while still hanging from the fridge door, one thing he hardly ever did, as it wasted electricity,"Besides, it's only the..i four/i of us." Rod gulped as he noticed that his apartment was starting to get crowded.

"Hey Rod," Ginger yelled from the bathroom, which was in the back of the house,"Where did you say the shampoo was again?"

"It's in the cupboard below the sink!" He screamed back.

"Thank you!" she closed the door."Hey it's TRESamme! I love that stuff!" they heard her say as she noticed the brand of the shampoo. Nicky snorted with laughter as he heard Ginger comment.

"She's as bad as you are! No wonder you two got along!"

"Shut up!" Rod snapped at he finally shut the door to the fridge.

Without notice, the front door opened to reveal a sweaty Ricky, panting from exhaustion.

"Dude," Nicky spoke first, jumping up from the look of the man who just entered the house,"what the hell happened to you?"

"In one hour," Ricky began, "I just found somebody to cover for me, and I just paid a taxi guy double his price because he was supposed to be getting off in fifteen minutes and i didn't have any change," He took a deep breath," but I made it, baby!"

Ricky hugged Rod from behind, causing Rod to scream with joy in his mind, because no matter how sweaty his boyfriend was, Ricky could still give Rod an intense amount of butterflies. **(A/N: BEST LINE I'VE EVER THOUGHT OF!)** "Now if you excuse me," He pecked Rod on the cheek, " I have to take a shower."

"Mm mm," Rod mumbled, still giddy from the fact that Ricky had done everything possible, just to spend time with him! In fact, he didn't even remember that Ginger was in the only bathroom of the apartment until he heard to screams, one being high and girlie, but not too girlie, and the other one being so loud that it would've woke up anybody that was sleeping in all of Avenues A through Z, although nobody lived in avenues R through Z anyway since they were dilapitated. **(A/N: Well, there's a Q, so why not the whole alphabet?) **Both Ricky and Ginger, who was in a white terry cloth robe that had red and pink hearts all over it and a towel over hair, came out with the same pissed off face.

"Who is this?" They said angrily together, pointing at the opposite person.

"No, you didn't Rod," Ricky shook his head in anger, "You know, maybe I wouldn't have minded so much if you cheated on me with Nicky-"

"Ricky, sweetie you're overreact-"

"But a woman Rod?! How could you?" Ricky had his hands up in the air," You're not.. straight, are you?"

"What?! No, no no no no!" Rod shook his head in disgust. Him, with a girl, how could Ricky say such a thing? "This is my cousin, Ginger!"

"Oh.." Ricky's mouth formed a perfect circle. He quickly shook her hand, "Nice to finally meet you."

"Any boyfriend of my cousin is a friend of mine! I tried for ten years to get him to tell someone else that he was gay, and he still wouldn't do it, no matter how many "Playgirls" his mom would find under his mattress!"

"Ginger!" Rod blushed as Nicky almost fell off the couch because he was laughing so hard.

"That's hilarious!" Nicky shouted, "especially since it was one of the reasons why I asked him if he was a homosexual!"

"Really?" Ginger looked surprised, "How many did you find?"

"Alright, enough about my magazine collection!" Rod ended the conversation quickly.He took a deep breath after the apartment was quiet again, "Anyway, Ricky was the other person who was going to go with me to see 'RENT'.." Rod looked at the ground, he felt horrible about taking back the ticket from Ginger.

"Oh," Ginger shrugged it off," that's alright, I'll just hang out here. I'm kind of tired from all the raveling I've done in the past three days to get here, so I probably would have fallen asleep by the time they got to 'Life Support'."

"Sorry.."

"No, it's fine!" she tried to tell him, "Really, i don't mind. You two go have fun!"

Ginger was so good at acting, sometimes she couldn't remember if she was lying or not. Just in case, she had a habit of thinking of a bell dinging if she was lying, just to remind herself. If she didn't, she would sometimes forget it was a lie, and end up going to do something, only to find out she had done it earlier or the person she was meeting didn't exist. She knew she wasn't lying this time, after all she was happy that Rod had finally accepted his lifestyle choice.

It was eight o' clock, Rod and Ricky had left an hour and one half before, as Rod hated to be late for anything. Ginger and Nicky were sitting on the couch, watching a stupid game show that was bound to be cancelled in a week. The two were trying to make small talk during the commercials, but it was hard, considering that they had only known each other for five hours, and they were already living together!

"So.." Ginger said as she was tapping her fingers on the couch, one of the biggest signs for future awkwardness, " how long have you known Rod?"

Nicky tried to think back as far as possible,"since around tenth grade."

"Oh, so when he first moved to Connecticut. Were you two, like, neighbors, or something like that?"

"No," Nicky shook his head, "we were just in some of the same classes." More silence was continued until the next two commercials passed; One was about dog food, the other about some new toy on the market. "So, why did you give up the chance to see that show, anyway? You know, Ricky would have easily given up his ticket, he hates anything with show-tunes."

"Well, I've been to New York City a million times," she answered. Ding! Just then, Nicky shook his head.

"You've never been to Times Square or Broadway, have you?"

"No," she shook her head, and then looked a bit startled by what he had just asked,"Wait, how did you know I was just lying?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "I guess after seeing a bunch of horrible musicals with Rod, I can tell when some body's acting. Besides, when you lie, and I'm guessing when you act too, your voice does the opposite of Rod's. It loses it's nasally-ness."

"How do you know if my voice is the same or not if I'm acting?" Ginger put her hand on her hips as she stood up from the couch.

"It does matter," Nicky stood up at the same time, only he was heading towards the door. He grabbed a set of keys from the hook on the door, and threw Ginger's pink trench coat at her." Let's go."

"Where the hell are we going?" She asked, though she still put on her coat.

"No actor can want to be on Broadway without seeing what it's like first!" Nicky dug through one of Rod's coats, and soon grabbed a silver credit card out of it," Thank god he didn't take it tonight!"He laughed as he opened the door."Ladies first!"

"Wow," Ginger looked impressed as she walked out the door, "You have some good manners for a moocher."

--

Although it was around eleven thirty at night, the lights around Ginger and Nicky were so bright it didn't even feel so late. The two had just gotten off the subway after seeing almost all of times square and Broadway. Ginger wasn't surprised that the subway wasn't as freaky as her mother always said it was. Sure it wasn't the cleanest place in the world, but it still wasn't that bad. She had even picked up a metro card and a job selling tickets at the Gershwin Theatre. Life was good!

"I can't believe you got that job!" Nicky exclaimed as the two walked down the street. "It took me forever to get my first job!"

"I thought you never had a job," Ginger laughed at her own joke. The two had chatted about themselves when they were walking around the city. Nicky playfully pushed her and Ginger, along with her two shopping bags, almost fell into the street, causing a car to honk at her and the driver to hold up his middle finger.Nicky and Gigner returned the gesture.

"I've had jobs before! I just.. don't enjoy them," he shrugged, "I mean, it's not like I woke up one morning and decided 'Hey, I think I'll live off of Rod's money for the rest of my life. That sounds like loads of fun!'." They reached the apartment and Nicky held the door as they walked inside. As Ginger went to reach for her key to unlock the inside door **(A/N:?? I don't know what else to call it)** , she noticed it was unlocked.

"I thought we locked the door on our way out," She said as she opened the door. Just then, the lights flashed on to reveal Rod, arms crossed and an angry pout on his face.

"Where have you two been?" His pout was still incredibly visible," I've been worried sick! No note, no phone call, no-"

"Would you shut up if I gave you a napkin with Anthony Rapp's autograph on it?" Ginger pulled it out of one of her shopping bags and held it out.

"Bu- but," Rod stuttured, surprised that Ginger could have possibly gotten an autograph from the lead of the tony winning broadway musical, "Anthony Rapp left RENT."

"He was walking to T.G.I. Fridays when I happened to bump into him," She smirked. Rod grabbed it out of her hands and walked towards the bedroom.

"Good night!" He said at he closed the door.


	3. We Can Do It

**I would like to thank ximxsomeonexelsex for that nice review. It makes me happy when people say such positive things about my fan fictions! Of course, it makes me happy when they write _anything_, but that's a whole other thing!**

**Also, I decided to shorten Nickty and Ginger's little adventure, so after a few more chapters, the beginning of this chapter is going to the end of the last one since it makes more sense there..**

**Oh,and just a setting reminder, this fan fiction takes place in the summer of 1998, since the only way for this thing to work is if what actually happened in the musical took place in 1997. besides, i think that's when they started to work on the musical in the first place. it was 1997, '98, or '99 .. one of those years!**

_"Avenue Q" is owned by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. Jeff Whitty wrote the book. I own Ginger Robyns. Please read "Stuck Between A Laundry Basket and A Cardboard Box" to fully understand this fan fiction. Also, if you see "Avenue Q" it might help, but I' haven't been so lucky yet, I'm only reading wikipedia summaries and watching you-tube videos to write this.._

* * *

Although it was around eleven thirty at night, the lights around Ginger and Nicky were so bright it didn't even feel so late. The two had just gotten off the subway after seeing almost all of times square and Broadway. Ginger wasn't surprised that the subway wasn't as freaky as her mother always said it was. Sure it wasn't the _cleanest_ place in the world, but it still wasn't that bad. She had even picked up a metro card _and_ a job selling tickets at the Gershwin Theatre. Life was good!

"I can't believe you got that job!" Nicky exclaimed as the two walked down the street. "It took me forever to get my first job!"

"I thought you _never_had a job," Ginger laughed at her own joke. The two had chatted about themselves when they were walking around the city. Nicky playfully pushed her and Ginger, along with her two shopping bags, almost fell into the street, causing a car to honk at her and the driver to hold up his middle finger.Nicky and Gigner returned the gesture.

"I've had jobs before! I just.. don't enjoy them," he shrugged, "I mean, it's not like I woke up one morning and decided 'Hey, I think I'll live off of Rod's money for the rest of my life. That sounds like loads of fun!'." They reached the apartment and Nicky held the door as they walked inside. As Ginger went to reach for her key to unlock the inside door (A/N:?? I don't know what else to call it), she noticed it was unlocked.

"I thought we locked the door on our way out," She said as she opened the door. Just then, the lights flashed on to reveal Rod, arms crossed and an angry pout on his face.

"Where have you two been?" His pout was still incredibly visible," I've been worried sick! No note, no phone call, no-"

"Would you shut up if I gave you a napkin with Anthony Rapp's autograph on it?" Ginger pulled it out of one of her shopping bags and held it out. Rod grabbed it out of her hands and walked towards the bedroom.

"Good night!" He said at he closed the door.

About a week had passed since Ginger had moved to Avenue Q, and she had gotten to know everybody pretty well. She had even been talking to the Newcomer who had moved into Christmas Eve and Brian's old apartment after finding out that was the only apartment he could afford, whether he like the people there or not. It even turned out he had a name- Jimmy.' Anyway, back to our story.

Princeton was sitting on the floor of his apartment, in front of a coffee tabled with a typewriter and two stacks of paper on top, one stack clearly had words on it .He was tapping the table with his fingers, thinking of what to write next, when he was startled by a laugh.. no wait, it was _two_ laughs.

"Hiya Princeton!" Said the two bears that had popped up from behind his couch.

"Ah- don't _do that_!" He pointed at the bad idea bears before turning back around to stare at his two piles of paper. "What do you guys want anyway?"

" We were just thinking-," The blue one said.

"-About how pretty the new girl is-" the yellow one started to finish.

"-and we thought you should ask her out-"

"-or fuck her!" The yellow bear shouted out excitingly.

"Yeah! Fuck her!" They both said at the same time.

"Are you two high today or something?" Princeton turned back around, his arms crossed, "Ginger's nice, I guess, but I'm in a-" he gulped before saying his one of least favorite word, "-_committed_ relationship with Kate Monster, who I happen to care about a lot!"

"Okay then," blue bear shrugged, "more for me!"

"and maybe even me!" Yellow bear replied, "she could be bisexual for all we know!" The two quickly went behind the couch and disappeared. Princeton shook his head.

"Stupid Bears!" he muttered to himself. There was a knock on Princeton's door, causing him to jump. "Come in!" He said once he was perfectly relaxed. **(A/N: Crap, I'm having a bad writing day...)**Princeton was surprised to see Ginger open the door.

"Kate Monster just called our phone," Ginger informed him politely, "she said to put your phone back on before she kills you." Princeton laughed at the message.

"I would, but for some reason I keep getting a million phone calls from telemarketers that can't even speak English."

"Whatcha doin' ?" Ginger asked as she sat on the lumpy couch, noticing the mess of papers.

"Just writing."

"About what?" she asked, grabbing some papers from the top of the stack with words written on it.

"Don't read it! It sucks!" Princeton tried to grab the papers. Ginger quickly ran of the couch as she tried to read it.

" 'Avenue Q: The Novel About Real Life and Finding Your True Purpose'. Kind of a long title, don't ya' think?" Giner held Princeton back with one hand, her other holding the papers. She quickly scanned the pages and soon handed them to Princeton. "Why the hell are this a novel?"

"I told you it sucked!" Princeton walked back to the table and placed them on top.

"I didn't say it sucked, I said it shouldn't be a book. Well, not that type of book anyway," Ginger said.

" What do you mean?" Princeton asked.

" What I mean it that this," Ginger picked up the first draft, "could be a Tony winning musical!"

"What's a Tony?" Princeton knew nothing about Broadway.

"What's a Tony?!" Ginger was shocked by the fact that he would even ask such a thing, "It's what anybody in theatre dreams about getting! Just to touch one is an honor!" She had a dreamy look on her face.

"It doesn't matter, I'm not making it a musical," Princeton shook his head, "Besides, the only backgorund I have in performing arts is that i played clarinet in my high school band."

"Which is why I can help you with all the music and lyrics stuff!" Ginger replied, " And some of your stuff can already rhyme as it is!"

"Like what?" Princeton rolled his eyes, he hated how this was going.

"Well, like this paragraph right here!" Ginger recited it from a page she took out from the middle.

_"'You're a little racist!' Princeton said. _

_'__Well so are you!' Kate Monster replied. _

_'__In a way, I guess we all are.' _

_'__So you're saying everyone's a little bit racist?' She put her hand on her hips. _

_'I guess I am,' Princeton nodded._

_' You're kind of right.'"_

"And what would you turn that into?" Princeton asked.

"I don't know, but you could say something like ' Everyone's racist sometimes, doesn't mean we make hate cirmes ' or something like that!" Ginger shrugged.

"If i do this," Princeton began, "you have to promise that I still get imput on everything."

"Only if i get half the credit if this thing makes it." Princeton sighed as Ginger made her deal. It would suck not getting more, but it was better than nothing.

"Fine!" Prineton extended his hand ad the two shook hands.

_"What the hell did I just get myself in?"_

**Yay! The real story has finaly begun! Get ready for songs and lots of references coming up! **

**Don't forget, I love reviews! And this is probably a bit unsaid, but I always try to review somebody else's fan fiction if they review mine.. so you know I'll return the favor! **

**glpb**

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	4. My Cousin Who Lived in Canada

**I would like to thank ximxsomeonexelsex for another awesome review! I never begin on a new chapter unless i get one or i have at leas 20 hits on the last chapter, so remember this people! **

**I also have to let you know, when I write something like this -- **_A-B-D-E _**-- it means those are the notes Ginger hit on the piano, preferably quarter notes.. (and if you don't know what those notes up there are, it's a part of the notes the piano hits after an actor would finish a line in a verse of 'It Sucks To be Me'. For example, Brian would say ' When I was little i thought i would be **_A-B-D-E**)**_

**AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! I just found out thanks to the u.k. website that Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez began writing Avenue Q in _1999_. This means my fan fiction actually takes place in 1999, not 1998 which I thought..lol, i got my own setting wrong!**

**Also, for Avenue Q fans, I just wanted to let you know that some people on youtube have been sneaking around and finding actual Avenue Q clips from the musical, and they have almost every song at the moment, the ones they don't have are mix tape, purpose, special(but they have a Broadway at Bryant park version),everyone's a little bit racist (though there are west end live versions) and the more you ruv someone, but i believe they have every other song! They also have dialogue clips such as the bad idea bears and Rod's confession.. i have them all in my youtube favorites, so try to find me somehow.. I'm under the name gottalovepixar, or just search the part you want! **

_"Avenue Q" is owned by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. Jeff Whitty wrote the book. I own Ginger Robyns. Please read "Stuck Between A Laundry Basket and A Cardboard Box" to fully understand this fan fiction. Also, if you see "Avenue Q" it might help, but I' haven't been so lucky yet, I'm only reading wikipedia summaries and watching you-tube videos to write this.._

* * *

Ginger fiddled her fingers on the keys of an old, wooden upright piano as she sighed with happiness. Gary had let her and Princeton use an old, broken down apartment that he kept his junk and eBay things in. Sure, it had no heat or central air, but that wasn't nothing a few fans could fix, along with some portable heaters in the winter months. Ginger had spotted the piano the first time she walked in a few days ago. It was a bit out of tune, not being played on for years, but Ginger had tuned it with the equipment she found not too far from it and her memory of old tuning lessons she had.

_Humph,_ she thought,_and my mother said that it was forty-five dollars out of the window and into the trash!_

Princeton walked in with two bottles of water in his hand and passed one to Ginger as he walked by the large amounts of clutter and sat on the piano bench. "Any ideas yet?" he asked while he opened his water and took a sip.

"Does this look like an idea to you?" Ginger held up a blank piece of sheet music.

"Not really," Princeton shrugged as Ginger let her head drop to the keys, making a horrible sound of clashing notes.

"I can't believe I thought this would be a piece of cake! I mean, it's not like I can make up anything i want, it has to be based on what actually happened," Ginger started to play around with the keys again, _A-B-D-E, A-B-D-E.._

"If you keep playing around with that it could be a part of one of the songs," Princeton stated as he looked at his watch, "Aw, shit, I'm gonna be late for work."

"What do you do, anyway?" Ginger put a hand on her hip as she turned everything but her legs to watch Princeton leave.

"At the moment, I work at a local Starbucks, not that I know how to make any of the drinks," Princeton stated, embarrassed to tell yet another person. **(A/N: If any die-hard John Tartaglia fan doesn't get this, SHAME SHAME SHAME SHAME SHAME!!)**

Ginger tried to hold down her laugh, but ended up letting out a small snort from her nose, "I mean- oh.." she nodded as if she didn't think it was one of the worst jobs to have. Princeton shut the door has Ginger continued to hit the same four notes over and over again, _D-E-G-A, D-E-G-A_. Just as she was adding a bit more to it, somebody knocked on the door, causing Ginger to forget all of the other notes she had played besides D, E, G and A. She huffed with annoyance. "Come in!" She wasn't as annoyed when she saw Nicky open the door with a smile.

"Hey Ginger!"

"Hi Nicky," she turned around and sat the opposite way on her bench, "what's up?"

"Well, I went to get the mail, and it turns out someone named 'Alberta'."

Ginger moaned in disgust, "It's from my parents, just throw it out the next time you get near a trash can."

"Why did they call you 'Alberta'?" Nicky held the letter out to examine it before stuffing it into one of his sweat shirt's pockets-which he was wearing even though it was almost eighty degrees outside.

"It was my birth name," she rolled her eyes, "everyone else refused to call me that so my grandmother started to call me 'Ginger', and it sort of stuck. So when I was eighteen I changed my name to 'Ginger Leanne Robyns'," Ginger smirked with satisfaction," Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? The true name of a future five-time Tony winning Broadway Actress!"

"But, why did grandmother choose 'Ginger'?" Nicky sat down next to Ginger on the bench, hitting the black keys on the piano; he always liked how they were different than the white keys.

"She told me it was because I was the first one in the family to find the secret ingredient of Rod's mother's chicken recipe," as soon as she said the word 'mother', Nicky noticed something odd.

"You didn't happen to grow up in Canada," Nicky turned around,sitting on the bench as if he was on a horse's saddle, "did you?"

"I went to Capilano College in Vancouver **(A/N: it actually exists!!)**, why?" Ginger was wondering how Nicky got a lucky guess. Nicky couldn't help it, he laughed as he shook his head. "What's so funny about going to college in Canada?" Ginger's face started to get angrier by the second as Nicky whispered why into her ear.

"He's so going to pay for that!" Ginger went back to her work, continuing to fiddle with the keys, _A-B-D-E, A-B-D-E..._

* * *

**I always thought Rod based Alberta on somebody he knew, at the end of the song he was coming up with stuff a little too quickly..**

**So yeah..umm - REVIEW PLEASE!**


	5. Not While I'm Around

**Okay, I'm **_**really**_**sorry about not updating lately, I've been busy moving and stuff.. but because i feel bad, I'm gonna write a fluff chapter! And thy'll be more Rod! why? BECAUSE FLUFF IS AWESOME!! AND SO IS ROD (though I'd rather meet the original hand up his ass, John Tartaglia)! And because I don't like putting important stuff too close to each other..**

**I would like to thank the people who looked at this story (who knew there were people from Mexico reading this!), and hopefully read it, though reviews are always nice! :) and if you have to write them in another language, go ahead! a review is a review!**

**Also, for people who haven't noticed, I've changed the chapter names AGAIN because i had a cool idea to name each chapter after a song from a musical! The song will usually have a plot line kind of like the chapter, or the song could just have a title that could remind me of a chapter!**

**just another small reminder that the story takes place (at the moment) in the summer of 1999..**

_"Avenue Q²" is not owned, approved, authorized or recognized by Jeff Marx and_ _Robert Lopez. "Avenue Q²_" _does not correctly describe how "Avenue Q" was created, or what Princeton's purpose is according to the minds of Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. Neither "Avenue Q" or "Avenue Q²_" _is authorized or approved by The Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop which have no responsibility for it's content._

_

* * *

_

It was Sunday, one of Rod's only days off. But, like any other day off, he was organizing his clients and double checking that they weren't doing anything stupid. Some of his clients reminded him of Nicky in a way, always making quick decisions because somebody else told them to, not because it was the smartest. Along with work, he was checking his email, something he only did once in a while, since he'd rather have conversations on the phone, where he could easily spot the difference between telemarketers and friends.

Rod was still deleting large amounts of spam when Ginger walked through the door, her lavender dress flowing as she walked to the kitchen table, put down her large bags, and put her hands on his shoulders, still behind him as she knew she could never get eye contact from him while he was busy.

"Hey Roddy!" Ginger said happily, "watcha' up to?"

"I'm working," Rod replied in a monotone voice.

"Oh," she rolled her eyes at the fact that her cousin was a workaholic, "What do you do, anyway?"

"I'm an investment banker," he answered, still typing away.

"Gee, I always thought you would end up being an actor or a lawyer," Ginger said as she walked towards the fridge to grab a can of soda. You couldn't find one, so she settled for the can of beer, "you know, like you always said you wanted to be?"

" Come on, Ginger, you know I dropped out of Harvard Law after a semester!" Rod close his laptop and went to unplug it from it's charger, "And I stopped wanted to be an actor when-"

"When you got teased and was called a faggot when you moved to Connecticut half way through Sophomore year?" Ginger interrupted calmly, closing the fridge and looking at him straight in the eye. **(A/N: Omg, I'm editing this and I apologize for all of the really bad mistakes, like saying Rod moved to Rhode Island, which is a lie, in my mind, he was born there.. no I am not from RI!)**

"No!" Rod answered sternly; he didn't feel like opening a very old wound, "when I decided I didn't want to be broke and eating Ramen noodles for the rest of my life."

"Well," Ginger sighed and put on a fake smile, "Although I have no idea what an investment banker does, **(A/N: Does anybody really? I mean, I've read 50 million different descriptions including the wikipedia one and I still have NO IDEA!) **I'm sure you're very happy." _Ding!_

"I am, thank you," Rod got out of his chair as he swallowed down his incredibly large lie. He would never be happy being an investment banker, and he knew he wouldn't have been happy as a lawyer either. He still preferred being on stage much more than being on Wall Street. But unlike Ginger, Rod was too afraid of failing, which caused him not to pursue his dream of being an actor, let alone winning 5 Tony's, which was Ginger's ultimate dream come true.. **(A/N: Ugh, that was so MarySue of me!It hurts, It hurts!)**

"You know," Ginger said while digging into a plastic shopping bag, "even though I've been here for over a month, we still haven't done anything together." She pulled out a VHS tape, "What do say we watch a movie?"

"I don't know Ginger.."

"It's Sweeney Todd!" Ginger pouted and started to beg, "Come on, Roddy! It's two of the only things we both love: Musical Theatre and Antony with really big muscels! Not to mention you get to remind me how wonderful Angela Lansbury is and I get to remind you how beautiful Stephen Sondheim's music is!" Rod laughed at her comments. They were all true, and always were, even how they both thought Antony didn't look so bad on stage! After all, she was the only one who knew he was gay when they were children.. **(A/N: for the record, he told her, it wasn't like she knew all along or anything..)**

"Alright," he smiled, "but only if I get to sing along with Angela Lansbury!"

* * *

**Haha, I kept wanting to make large remarks about how they were watching the stage version, not the new movie! **

**so yeah, REVIEW**


	6. Screw Loose

**Ugh, I felt bad about the long wait and then an extremly short chapter, so here's another chapter, which is inspired by one of _Cry-Baby_'s songs "Screw Lose", and yes, the new character's name is inspired by "Reefer Madness", you learn why _WAY_ later..**

**this story takes place (at the moment) in the summer of 1999..**

_"Avenue Q" is owned by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. Jeff Whitty wrote the book. I own Ginger Robyns. Please read "Stuck Between A Laundry Basket and A Cardboard Box" to fully understand this fan fiction. Also, if you see "Avenue Q" it might help, but I' haven't been so lucky yet, I'm only reading wikipedia summaries and watching you-tube videos to write this..

* * *

___

When you live on Avenue Q, there's never much to do, but you'll always find _something_. Whether it's taking a long walk with your boyfriend- which was what Rod was doing that afternoon- or looking for another job, which was what Ginger _wasn't_ doing, although she scheduled some interviews for Monday, since all of that Saturday was booked.

Instead, she was playing _Mario Party_with Nicky, who had improved very much since he had bought it three days ago. Being a girl, she had always picked Peach, which caused her to lose almost every time. The only time she had beat Nicky was when he paused the game to go to the bathroom, and she unpaused it and won becuase his character had stood still. This, of course, had caused an extreme tickling match, which had been interrupted by a knock.

"Who could that be?" Ginger asked as Nicky walked to the door. As soon as he looked through the 'peep' hole, his mouth fell wide open.

"Oh, crap, it's _her_!" Nicky whispered harshly as he paced around, trying to figure out how to get rid of this mysterious girl.

"Who's 'her'? And why are we whispering?" Ginger stood up and flattened out a wrinkle in her polka-dotted skirt.

"'Her'," Nicky answered, "is Mary Lane! I slept with her a few weeks ago-"

"Ooo," Ginger smirked, "some body's a bit of a Ladies' Man!"

"Shut _up_!" Nicky responded, slightly blushing, "anyway, now i can't get rid of her!"

"I bet you I can!" Ginger smirked again, "Just hand me your sweatshirt and open the door once I get into the other."

"Okay.." Nicky unzipped his brown sweatshirt, watching her go into the bedroom. He cringed as he opened the door, which revealed a light pink girl-puppet thing **(A/N:what would I say??)**with blond hair.

"Hey, silly, did you miss me?" Mary Lane tried to grab Nicky's hand, but he quickly stuck it into his pants pocket.

"May Lane, I've told you a _million_ times, I'm-"

"Nicky! What are you doing?"

Nicky was surprised to see Ginger in such a way she was dressed. He had a feeling all she had on was his sweatshirt and a pair of his boxers, although he sure hoped not! She had tried to make her hair look as messy as possible, as if they had just had some _very_ kinky sex.

"Um, I was just- um.." Nicky had no idea what to say, he was baffled.

"Hi," Ginger shook Mary Lane's hand as she linked her other arm with Nicky's, pulling it out of the pocket **(A/N: Just had to point that out! **;)** ),** "I'm Ginger, Nicky's _girlfriend._" _Ding._ Nicky was relieved her voice was less nasally when she said this.

"Oh," Mary Lane was in awe," well, then, I guess I'll just go." She started to walk down the stairs and opened the door. "You two make a lovely couple," she replied before closing it.

As soon as Nicky knew she was gone, he turned to Ginger.

"_Please_ tell me your wearing something under that!" His hands were together as if he was praying.

"Obviously!" Ginger made a disgusted face, "I have no idea when you do your laundry!"

* * *

**Okay you can review now!**


	7. There is Life Outside Our Apartment

**Hey, look, another short chapter, in a way!**

**Also, I forgot to mention, my idea of fluff is different from other people's ideas of fluff. My 'fluff' is just extra chapters that give a type of 'padding' between important chapters. For example, today is an important chapter, why, well, I can't tell you yet, you have to **_**read it!**_

**Oh, and if you see anything like this **_DEGA_ **(unlike **_D-E-G-A_**) those notes are being played at the same time ! And if it's above a lyric that's what's happening during the lyric..**

**blah blah blah post disclaimer here.. though I don't get the disclaimer, I mean, I think we all know nobody here owns the main subject of their story, otherwise it wouldn't be called **_**fan**_** fiction now, would it?**

* * *

It was August, the hottest month of the year, and the last month of summer. Ginger was a bit upset that summer would soon be ending, but then she remembered there wasn't that much of a reason too; she didn't have to go back to school, as she had graduated that year!

Speaking of 'Special', Ginger was working on that very song with Princeton that day, along with Lucy, as she had written the lyrics. Ginger just wanted to make the music a little more loud and sexy. Not to mention add more instruments; Lucy's original version only had a small electric piano.

Not surprisingly, Lucy had gone back to her slutty ways, though she wasn't as crazy as before. Her clothing was a bit more, 'appropriate', and she did go to church every now and then, but she had given up the whole 'church every day, perfect little women' routine after some of her brain grew back from the horrible accident.

"So," Ginger put down her pencil and went back into her 'pianist position', "If those chords are right, it will sound like this..

_**For me! **__ABFB ABFB_

_**For me! **__ABFB ABFB_

_**For me! **__BDFB BDFB_

_**For me! **__BDFB _

_BDFB ADEA(flat)  
__**I can tell just by looking that you are especially hard..**_"

"That sounds great!" Lucy exclaimed with a smile, "It's almost exactly how I wanted it to sound when I performed it!" Ginger's face when from happy, to dissapointed.

"Almost?" Ginger replied, but not in a rude way, "How did you want it then?"

"Well," Lucy answered, kicking her feet under the piano like a child would when they're thinking, "I always thought of the song having a bit of saxophone."

Ginger thought for a bit, and then nodded. "I can do that!" She smiled. She soon looked at the clock she had on top of the piano, "Holy crap, I'm gonna be late!"

"For what?" Princeton asked.

"Well, I thought I could have some separate interviews with everyone, so I know what was important to them during then, and maybe some things _you're_ not telling me because you don't want to look like an ass in the musical or something!"

"Are you saying I was being an ass back then?" Princeton laughed as Ginger grabbed her tote bag and floppy sunhat (that happened to have a bow that matched her teal dress, which amazingly did not clash with her blue complexion) and started towards the door.

"Acording to Kate Monster, you occasionally were!" Ginger closed the door. Lucy started to laugh under her breath.

"You kind of were," Lucy nodded.

"Look who's talking, you were a slut!"

* * *

Late that night, Princeton had just gotten home from his second job - which was at Applebees' **(A/N: OMG, there are like, 3 applebee's in times square!)** - tired and exhausted. It was hard keeping up with all of the things he was busy with.

_And I thought_ finding_ my purpose was hard! _Princeton thought, _It's a miracle have have time in the day for all of this. Not to mention having Kate Mo-.. oh, shit, not again!_

Princeton started to run to the apartment. He had forgotten that he had told Kate he would take her out to dinner that night. Unfortunately, that was supposed to be at eight o' clock, which was about four hours ago. _I'm such an idiot!_ Princeton thought as he opened Kate Monster's door, which was unlocked.

He found Kate asleep on her couch, her face not facing the door and her head under her purse, as if it was a pillow. Princeton sat on the couch gently, so he would wake her.

"You're a little late," Kate spat out, but in a normal tone of voice, her head still facing the couch.

"Yeah I know. Kate I'm really-" he tried to finish, but Kate interrupted with a sigh, sitting up and smoothing the wrinkles out of her skirt.

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault." but Princeton could tell she was still annoyed. "It's just-" she searched for the words, "- I don't even see you anymore! We used to always be together until she had that stup-"

"Kate Monster, don't even tell me you're jealous of Ginger!" Princeton started to laugh, the idea of him cheating behind Kate's back with Ginger made him a bit sick, but he laughed so he wouldn't puke.

"You're always with her now!" she pouted childishly, crossing her furry arms hard enough that some of her hair fell in front of her face. "and I never see you!"

"Kate," Princeton gently put the piece of hair behind her hair- it gave both of them a surge of excitement up their spines; any closer, and they would have touched noses, "you said that twice!" Kate started to smile, you couldn't help smile when she was around him.

"I just wish there was a way for us spend more time together."

_I should do it, _Princeton thought, _But what if she says no? What am I saying?! Of course she'll say yes, she loves any type of commitment!_

"Then maybe we could live together," Princeton mumbled softly. Kate perked up quickly.

"What did you say?"

"Forget it-"

"No, I heard you!" Kate grabbed her boyfriend into a large hug, "I guess you're not commitment-phobic anymore!"

_I'm such a fucking idiot! _Princeton bit his tongue. Then he smiled- well, as much as he could, as Kate had just kissed him. _Or maybe it won't be so bad!_

* * *

**I told you something important was happening! And it's kind of long, too! **

**NOW REVIEW PLEASE!!**

**glpb**


	8. How We Gonna Pay, All This Rent?

**Okay, I know for a fact that this chapter will be shorter than the last one! I'll try to make it as long as I can. But first..**

**Holy crap, guys (and girls)! I didn't know you liked me this much! The month's only half way over and I have almost 100 views! and 36 visitors! Sure, there's probably some of you who check out a chapter more than once a few times, but I'm getting recognized on dA and I'm finding people on YouTube and , once again, HOLY CRAPOMOLI!! You like me, you really like me! :D**

**Also, there is a picture a friend of mine drew for me on deviantART ! It's a pic of Rod, Ginger, and Nicky, and I LOVE IT! Here's the link.. but take out the spaces, since won't let me type deviantart . com without them.. kitsuneragdoll. deviantart .com/art/Art-Trade-After-the-Parade-97231602**

**And finally, I won't be posting chapters as often since I'm back in school, yuck!**

**And, as always, "Avenue Q **_²_**_" _takes place in 1999.**

_"Avenue Q²" is not owned, approved, authorized or recognized by Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. "Avenue Q²_" _does not correctly describe how "Avenue Q" was created, or what Princeton's purpose is according to the minds of Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. Neither "Avenue Q" or "Avenue Q²_" _is not authorized or approved by The Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop which have no responsibility for it's content._

* * *

That next morning, Ginger, adorned in her terry cloth robe with the hearts, was tapping her match flip flop slipper on the floor, annoyed that she was waiting forty five minutes just to go take a shower. She usually woke up early before the rush, but Rod had decided to turn off her alarm clock so he could get in first.

"Come _on_!" Ginger shouted, her arms crossed over the pink towel she was grabbing, "It shouldn't take this long! I have an audition in an hour!"

"It's Sunday!" Rod and Ricky shouted from the shower.

"You're _both_ in there?!" Ginger face crinkled from disturbing images. "I would think that it would take faster!" Nicky scoffed from behind her, he was also in line.

"That's what you think!"

"Perv!" Ginger, Rod and Ricky said at the same time, only Ginger was close enough to slap him in the face. The water soon shut off.

"Thank God!" she rolled her eyes. Unfortunately, as soon as the door opened and Rod and Ricky walked out (clothed, of course!), Nicky rushed past Ginger and closed the door before she could get in. "Hey! What happened to chivalry!"

"It died after the medieval times!" Nicky laughed from the bathroom.

After another 20 minutes of waiting, Ginger finally got to take her shower. But unfortunately..

"_What the fuck!_" Ginger screamed as her back hit the freezing cold water. "What the hell, Nicky!"

"Oh, yeah," Nicky pulled his sweatshirt over his head as he walked past the bathroom, "We're out of hot water."

"Okay," Ginger said after putting her slightly oily hair into a ponytail; she had no time to wait for the hot water, "I know I'm horrible for saying this since I only pay for a fraction of the rent, but I don't think this is working so well anymore."

"Same here," Rod replied as he walked out of the bathroom, "One of you black-haired bastards," he glared at Ricky and Nicky, "left hair in my brush _and_ my hair gel!"

"Oh, yeah," Nicky said while his head was in the fridge, "somebody ate my omelet from yesterday's brunch! And it had my name on it, with a giant "N" so nobody would think it was Ricky's."

"Hey," Ricky walked out of the bedroom, holding up a pink pair of boxers, "who put these with the reds? Just because I'm gay _doesn't_mean that I like pink undies! Becuase I don't!" He pondered his thought, "Except maybe on Rod.."

"TMI!" Ginger and Nicky shouted together. **(A/N: TMI means "too much information")**

"Sorry.."

"So, what are we going to do?" Rod asked, "It's not like Avenue Q has a bigger apartment, or another one for rent."

"I can't afford an apartment!" Ginger was pushing Nicky out of the way to grab the orange juice, "Could you move, please?" Nicky rolled his eyes, and walked out of the kitchen.

"Well, if we all chipped in we could all afford two, kind of like a timeshare," Ricky shrugged, "I'm getting a raise this month anyway." Ricky was a nurse **(A/N: I know, super stereotypical..)** at the hospital close to Avenue Q. It paid okay, but pretty good if you lived where they did.

"Not to mention I just got that job at the Moondance Diner," Ginger went off in daydream land a bit as she remembered that she worked where Jonathan Larson did for multiple years when he was composing.

"Are we all forgetting the main thing here," Nicky stuffed a paper plate in the trash, "Avenue Q has no apartments to rent!"

_Ring..Ring.._

"Hello," Rod answered the phone, "Oh, Hi Kate!.. what?.. he did _not!_.. Oh my god, really?... that's amazing! When's he moving in?... In two weeks? How you'd get him to do that?.. Oh, that true. I'll talk to you later.. Okay, Bye!" Rod hung the phone up casually, "Princeton's moving into Kate Monster's apartment."

"Isn't his apartment across the hall?" Ricky questioned.

"Yeah, why?" Rod shrugged. Then it hit him."Oh!"

"Get Gary, now!" Ginger ran out of the apartment, followed by her three roommates. There was no way they were letting this opportunity pass them by.

* * *

**Tadaa! Reviews are greatly appreciated! **

**Oh, I forgot, I'm working on an Avenue Q fan fiction about that picture that's on dA.. It will be up in a month or so..**


	9. Fantasies Come True!

**Listen everybody, this is THE MOST IMPORTANT CHAPTER OF THEM ALL!! It will reveal the, i can't believe I'm saying this, BIGGEST conflict of them all! For some people, this might be a 'I knew this was going to happen'. For others, it could be 'wtf, i didn't see that coming'. But, I WANT TO KNOW IN YOUR REVIEWS..**

**And because it's the most important, I think it's the longest too! I will try my hardest not to make spelling or grammar errors or author's notes because it's so important.. and you should all know this, considering almost ANY multiple chapter fan fiction that includes Rod has a chapter named 'Fantasies Come True', but it's mostly named this because, well, you'll find out!**_"_

_"Avenue Q²" is not owned, approved, authorized or recognized by Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. "Avenue Q²_" _does not correctly describe how "Avenue Q" was created, or what Princeton's purpose is according to the minds of Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. Neither "Avenue Q" or "Avenue Q²_" _is not authorized or approved by The Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop which have no responsibility for it's content._

* * *

"Well," Ginger sighed, "That's the last box." She wiped her head with the cloth she had stuck in her pocket.

"I can't believe Rod's being such an ass to make us move into this apartment," Nicky shouted from the back. Princeton's-well, now it was Ginger and Nicky's- apartment had the same layout, it was just a bit flip flopped.

A majority of the boxes had already been unpacked, the only thing that needed to be done was to put the clothes in the closets and dresser drawers. Princeton's old furniture was there; Kate had convinced him to just stick with almost all of her things (the bedsheets were switched; Princeton refused to own pink sheets with roses on them). Even the glasses and plates were still in the kitchen cabinets.

"Probably because this apartment had two bedrooms!" Ginger replied, "not to mention more than half of Princeton's stuff he didn't need we got, so what would the point be of moving all of the stuff that Rod owns- which is pretty much everything in their but our own personal belongings- into this apartment, and taking all of this stuff across the hall."

"True, but this apartment doesn't have two bedrooms. It's just one bedroom with an extra big-ass closet!" Nicky threw his sweatshirt on a chair, the late August heat causing him and Ginger to sweat.

"Nicky," she complained,"don't start making this place a mess already!"

"Sorry," Nicky rolled his eyes, "Geesh, I thought I wasn't living with Rod anymore!" This caused him to get an evil glare from Ginger.

"Whatever," Ginger flopped herself on the couch, "I'm done for the day. If I unpack another box, I'm going to pass out!" She grabbed a large, orange folder titled 'Avenue Q Music: First Draft', and opened it."Aw, damn it, I was supposed to give this to Rod!" She held up a mini-packet of blue papers.

"Why would you give him your sheet music?"

"He always checks it for mistakes or weirdo lyrics that don't sound right," Ginger flipped through the pages, "besides, I want to make sure it's in his vocal range."

"Okay.." Nicky was confused.

"What, do you think I would get somebody to pay my cousin when I know he can do it himself?" Ginger asked rhetorically, standing up to once again go across the hall. But when she opened the door, it revealed a boy- well, more of a man, sort of, he was in that transition stage- with his hand extended to knock. A pie was in his hand.

"Oh, hey Jimmy!" Ginger smiled, "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much really," Jimmy replied shyly, looking down at his feet. He then remembered the baked good in his hands. "I brought you a pie; Strawberry Rhubarb, your favorite."

"Oh, you remembered!" Ginger smiled, remembering the day when the whole apartment had to choose pie flavors for the Fourth of July. It was kind of him, but weird. After going to high school for four years and knowing men like the inside of a piano, Ginger knew what was coming next.

"Hey, I ..- I was wondering, maybe tonight.. maybe you'd like to-"

"Oh, I don't know," Ginger shrugged. _Please, Nicky get me out of this somehow!_

"Ginger, you weren't planning on doing anything tonight anyway you should go!" Nicky tried to hold down his laughs.

_Jackass! _Ginger thought, but hid her annoyance by a smile.

"I'd love to go!"

_Ding!_

"Great, I'll see you then!" Jimmy smiled.

"Okay," Ginger started walking towards Rod's door- it was odd for her to no longer think of it as her own door.

"Okay, bye."

"Bye," she quickly closed the door, groaning in annoyance.

"What's wrong?" Rod asked, somewhat startled by the noise that inturrupted his work on his computer.

"He likes me!" Ginger rolled her eyes.

"Who?" Rod closed the laptop, he knew this would be a conversation he should actually listen to.

"That, Jimmy guy!"

"You mean the one that looks like Princeton?" Rod and Ginger both sat on the couch at the same time, Rod crossing his legs like a pretzel and facing his cousin.

"Yeah, I told him I'd go out with him tonight," she scrunched her face in disgust. "I mean he's a nice guy, but he's kind of creepy too. In that clingy, puppy sort of way."

"Wow," Rod commented, "sucks to be you!" Ginger rolled her eyes.

"Can you stop using my songs as puns?"

"But it's so fun, and you knew that one was coming!" Rod laughed. "Speacking of which, that a new one?" he pointed to the papers.

"Yeah, It's sort of a duet between you and Kate Monster," Ginger explained, "but first, I have to ask you something.

"Anything!"

"Well, you know how I love a good romance conflict, right?"

"Yeah," Rod shrugged.

"Me and Princeton were talking, and we think we're going to change some facts around, for entertainment purposes.."

"Like?" Rod was afraid of where this was going.

"We were thinking, if you didn't mind of course, if we could, possibly.. have you have a crush on Nicky?"

Rod almost choked on his own spit when he heard it. After all, they both thought it would make the story fiction, him secretly loving his best friend, but it was pretty much every day for him. Even when he was with Ricky, who he loved so much as well, he couldn't help but think of his Nicky. Sure, it wasn't like it used to be, it was more like that feeling you get when you think of a boy you used to have a crush on. You still cared for him a little bit, but not in the obsessive way as before. **(A/N: For any dA people, this does not go for me and 'Fiyero')**

"I know," Ginger shook her head to get rid of the thought, "It's crazy, but just think about it okay?" She leaned her head on Rod's shoulder and gave him her famous puppy dog pout, causing him to smile.

"Anything but the face!" Rod chuckled. He ruffled her curly, red hair and smiled.

"Just read through it, 'kay?" She asked, getting up to leave.

"I will."

"Promise?" Ginger pointed at him as she was already out the door.

"I promise!" Rod smiled again. He heard the door click as he held the music in his hand, afraid to read it and bring back memories.

_Oh, shit!_

* * *

Late that night, when Ricky and almost everyone in Avenue Q but a few were asleep, Rod was busy staring at the sheet music on the coffee table.

_Should I really look at it?_ he thought, _I mean, I know I promised Ginger I would, but, do I really need to open wounds that are halfway healed? _Rod sighed.

"Let's get this over with," he read through the music, "ugh, this isn't gonna help if I can't figure out what notes these are in my head!" Rod tried a few notes until he finally got the right one.

_All those nights  
I'd lay in bed  
Thoughts of you  
Running through my head_

Rod laughed, "Earmuffs on a cookie, that's kind of funny!"

_But I never thought  
The things in my head  
Could really happen  
In my bed_

"Do I really look like David Hasslehoff?" Rod shook his head, "back to the song."

_All those years  
I missed the signs  
Couldn't read  
Between the lines_"

_Who'd have thought  
I would see the day  
Where I'd hear you say  
What I heard you say_

_And now I find  
What was always in my mind was in your mind too  
Who knew? Fantasies come true  
And now I see  
That what I always dreamed of was meant to be  
You and me and you, fantasies come true!_

At that same moment, Jimmy and Ginger were getting home from the 'pity date'.

"You know Ginger," Jimmy put his hand on her cheek, causing Ginger to flinch," you really are amazing."

"You're amazing," she smiled fakely.

_Ding!_

"Here, I got you something.."

_If it's a freakin' lucky penny,_Ginger thought,_ I'm gonna punch the bastard!_

Luckily, it was not a lucky penny, it was a necklace. It was nearly as beautiful as the charm bracelet Ginger always wore, in fact, the necklace looked like it came from the dollar store. Jimmy smiled.

_"I want you to know  
The time that we've spent  
How great it's been  
How much it's meant"_

_I'm not lying anymore!_ Ginger thought.

_"Gosh, I don't know what to say,"_ she began,_" I mean- I'm, really glad you feel that way but-" _

Ginger was interrupted by Jimmy trying to kiss her, but she stopped him just in time.

"Sorry," she tried to save herself, "I don't kiss on the first date."

_Ding!_

Ginger quickly dashed into the apartment. Right on the table next to the door was a note that was tapped on a goofy picture of Nicky and Ginger, well, Ginger didn't want to be in the picture, as she was half awake and had no make-up on, but it was the only decent one of the two of them. It turned out Nicky had went to a bar, and would be home soon.

"I'm so stupid, I go out with a clueless guy who's so not my type and for what?" Ginger look at the picture and held it up. She sighed, "I guess I know why." She said to the picture.

_Cause I'm afraid  
That I like you more  
Than I've ever liked  
Any guy before _

Across the hall, Rod was still reading the sheet music

**(A/N: Following is sung simultaneously, although you should know this by now..)**

_Cause Now/Cause Now_

_My love/My love_

_I'm getting what I've always been dreaming of_

_So are you/Oh baby_

_Fantasies come true!_

_And now /And now_

_I swear that/I swear_

_When you want me I'm gonna be right there_

_To care for you/To care for you, that's what I'm gonna do!_

_And make your Fantasies/Fantasies_

_Come true!_

_Fantasies come true!/Come true!_

"Hey Ginger!"

"Oh- hey Nicky!" Ginger quickly put the picture back on the table, startled that he had come home so quickly.

"How was your date?"

"It sucked of course!" Ginger said as Nicky laughed at the comment.

"I'm not surprised. Well, I'm going to bed. Goodnight Ginger!" He walked down the hall, and shut the bedroom door.

"Goodnight Nicky," The two cousins said simultaneously, each in their own apartment, neither of them knowing that they had more in common than they thought.

* * *

**Oh yeah, what now? I don't have a love triangle, i have a love HEXAGON! I got Rod, Nicky, Ginger, Ricky, Jimmy, AND Mary Lane! Who's got a romance conflict bigger than Me? I'll tell you who, nobody! NOBODY!!**

**I need reviews for this one please!**

**glpb**


	10. Getting To Know You

**I have been lately learning that people are LOVING this fan fiction! And not by reviews here, since you know, i only get one or two from here, but on dA.. which, as some of you also know, i have posted up to chapter three ("We Can Do It") there..**

**also, i was thinking about making a dA name strictly committed to Q Squared.. of course, i don't know if anybody would consider looking at it so.. message me somewhere if you would actually watch it..lol!**

**Well, on to the next chapter! I think you'll all like it!**

**The funniest part is, i thought of the idea for this chapter literally 30 seconds before i posted it! Thank god, i thought i was going to ruin my song pattern!**

_"Avenue Q²" is not owned, approved, authorized or recognized by Jeff Marx and_ _Robert Lopez. "Avenue Q²_" _does not correctly describe how "Avenue Q" was created, or what Princeton's purpose is according to the minds of Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. Neither "Avenue Q" or "Avenue Q²_" _is not authorized or approved by The Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop which have no responsibility for it's content._

* * *

Over the next day or so, Ginger was starting to admit that she was "hopelessly devoted" to Nicky. Why Nicky? Well, she had no freaking clue! But she had a feeling it was how he was funny, and sweet, and nice, and couldn't see through her lies, and goofy, and well... hot! There, she admitted it, Ginger Leanne Robyns thinks that Nicholas.. something.. is sexy!

_Oh my god,_ Ginger thought to herself, _I'm in a love with a man who has an unknown last name! That is strictly forbidden! I mean, what if it clashed with my name or-.. wait a minute! I don't have to worry about that! I'm an actress! Actresses keep their maiden names! Well, usually.._

So she quickly got over that and tried to think of other things she didn't know about him. Which was pretty much everything else! But that was nothing a few casual questions wouldn't fix! Unlike a few problems she also had at the moment...

Her second problem was that she was still dating Jimmy, who was getting more boring-and creepy- by the date! For the past three dates, Ginger had to remind him that she believed in abstinence, and that her virginity was very important to her. Luckily, that was not a ding!

Ginger's third problem was that the musical was getting bigger and more expensive than her and Princeton could handle! It felt like every time she turned around, a whole stack of blank sheet music would disappear. Unfortunately, it turned out that the Bad Idea Bears had stolen it, so Ginger was stuck with 1,625 pages of extra sheet music.

And of course, to top the whole damn thing off, Ginger had her seasonal flu, _and_- drum roll please- her period!

_Gee, God's loving me this week!_, Ginger thought before going into a coughing fit on the couch that was covered in tissue boxes, sheet music, and more tissues!

"Hey Ginger, I've got to go stop at the grocery store for Rod, so-" Nicky stopped when he saw his roommate in the sea of tissues. "You okay?" Ginger gave him the most evil stare Nicky had ever seen in his life.

"What do you think?"

"Well, I think you've got some type of bug or so-"

"_It was a rhetorical question!_" Ginger said in her drama queen way, her voice getting squeakier by the minute, almost like how when Rod yells at Nicky for doing something stupid. She quickly regretted it when she saw the somewhat hurt look Nicky had on his face.

"I'm sorry, Nicky," Ginger felt bad for yelling at him, "I've just been really stessed lately. My auditions suck, my songs suck, my love life sucks, everything in life currently sucks!"

"Yeah, well, that's the requirement of living on Avenue Q! You're life has to suck!" Nicky shrugged as he put his hand on Ginger's shoulder, almost causing Ginger to squee out loud. It was a good thing she was a professional at hiding secrets, and acting! "You need anything?"

"Just some NyQuil," Ginger placed her hand on Nicky's. Did I mention she was a master at flirting without any man noticing? Which sucks too, but it has it's advantages sometimes, "and some Ginger Ale. Oh, and- no I'm not gonna ask for that!"

"Really, Ginger! I'll get you whatever you need!"

"No, we're not that close yet," Ginger shook her head, laughing a bit.

"Ginger, I mean it!" Nicky was being serious.

"Fine," Ginger shrugged," could you get me some tampons?"

Nicky's face quickly turned red, causing him to look like a Christmas Tree, which was a bit early, considering it was the middle of September. "What kind?" Nicky swallowed the embarrassment, biting his lip so he would laugh or scream 'Oh my god! Why am I an idiot for asking if you needed anything?'.

"Nicky, there's no difference," Ginger shook her head.

"How am I supposed to know this?" Nicky couldn't help it, he laughed just a little bit, "I mean, I was an only child, my mother died when I was young, so it wasn't like she was sending me to get some!"

"Oh," Ginger quickly stopped her giggling, "I didn't know that."

"Oh, not many people do," Nicky shrugged, "even Brian doesn't know. Just Rod, and well, you now. Of course there's a million of other things nobody but Rod knows.."

"Like what?" Ginger was curious. Nicky sat on the side of her, one of the only spots where there weren't tissues **(a/n: what's with me and describing tissues today? I guess it's cause there's pretty much nothing to describe!) **

"Well, nothing major really," Nicky shrugged, "Let's see.. I'm half monster-"

"Oh, like that's not major!" Ginger shoved Nicky playfully, "I didn't even know somebody could _be_ half monster!"

"Oh, they can be, it's just rare for the child to survive and all. I was what they called 'a miracle baby'," Nicky rolled his eyes. "It's not that important to me, I'm not like Kate Monster, wanting to save Monsters from the terrors of racist people!" Ginger laughed. She liked learning more about Nicky. It was nice to know things about him other people didn't know.

"So your mother was the monster?" Ginger asked.

"Yeah, she- wait how'd you know that?"

"Oh," Ginger shrugged, "I just remember learning in some class one day that the fur for a male monster for their, well, I guess you could call it hair, comes from the mother's genes and how furry a monster's body is depends on the father. And well, you're no Trekkie, so-" Nicky laughed at her small joke. It was well known that Trekkie was one of the furriest monster's in New York.

After a while, Nicky forgot about the food shopping and they started talking more. Nicky learned about how Ginger had never felt connected to her mother or father, and Ginger learned that Nicky had always wanted to go into culinary, but mostly baking. Which had surprised her a lot. After all, baking had always seemed feminine to her.

The two had ended up watching a movie that night, after Nicky had gotten a stern yelling from Rod about how they wouldn't be able to have a decent supper until the next day, which wasn't very important to Ginger, since when she was as sick as she was, even chicken noodle soup made her queasy. Ginger didn't remember much of what had happened in the movie, since she had fallen asleep on Nicky's shoulder not even ten minutes through it. Nicky would have woken her up, but for some reason, he couldn't do it that night. Maybe he was just to tired himself to care about it, or maybe- no! Nicky shook the crazy thought out of his head as he turned the television off and fell asleep as well.

* * *

**Once again, I LOVE REVIEWS!**


	11. Pretty Women

**By now you all probably know where this is going, so if you hate me, please don't kill me! lol.. you guys still have no idea how this hexagon will end anyway.**

_"Avenue Q²" is not owned, approved, authorized or recognized by Jeff Marx and_ _Robert Lopez. "Avenue Q²_" _does not correctly describe how "Avenue Q" was created, or what Princeton's purpose is according to the minds of Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. Neither "Avenue Q" or "Avenue Q²_" _is not authorized or approved by The Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop which have no responsibility for it's content._

* * *

A few days later, Nicky sat on the couch, fiddling with the television remote. It was old, with a light layer of dust that would never come off, despite Ginger's intense scrubbing the remote would cope with at least once a week. He was collecting his thoughts, one thing he hardly ever did, but this was an emergency.

Did he really have the smallest amount of feeling for Ginger? Sure, she was his second best friend- Rod was obviously the first-, could he just be confusing his feelings with friendship? How would he know? He never actually loved anyone before. Sure, some sex every now and then, but once the sun rose the next day, he was out the girl's door and didn't plan on returning. In other words, Nicky was the real life Joey Tribbiani.

Of course, his unsuccessful relationships hadn't helped him so far. Most of the time, the only thing Nicky got out of his relationships were black eyes, stalkers and, well.. things he had taken care of already.

Besides, when Nicky _did _try to be in a serious relationship, it ended quickly when the girl found out he was half Monster. Apparently, most girls thought that having children that had no chance of dying or having a birth deficiency was more important than being able to make a souffle that was impossible to collapse.

"That fucking bastard!" Ginger screamed as she slammed the door. Nicky jumped at the sound of her screaming. "I can't believe he would even _try_ to do something like that, especially when it's only freakin' five thirty!" She threw her red purse over the coat hanger next to the door.

"How was your date with Jimmy?" Nicky asked without moving off the couch. It wasn't as if he had no idea what Jimmy wanted from Ginger.

"He tells me to dress my best, right?" Ginger threw herself on the couch, "So I iron my red strapless dress with the pink stripes at the bottom and get out my pink stilettos."

"Of course," Nicky nodded. If Ginger was anything like Rod, she would yell at him if he wasn't listening and adding one or two comments.

"So, I meet him, and it turns out he made dinner in his apartment!" As soon as Ginger said 'dinner', Nicky groaned.

"He didn't try to make that ketchup- flavored rice dish again, did he?" Jimmy was, by cooking standards, no Nicky.

"No," Ginger shook her head as she flopped herself onto the couch," it was worse than that! He tried to have sex with me!"

"Oh my- wait, what?"

"'Sex', Nicky. You know," Ginger made air quotes at this moment," 'when two people love eachother very much a-'"

"I know what 'sex' is, Ginger, I'm twenty-seven years old " Nicky rolled his eyes, "I just.. didn't know the nerd had it in him!"

"He is _not _a nerd," Ginger playfully smacked Nicky's shoulder,"he's just a perverted freak who has no idea that most girls don't think of intercourse as a quick, non-romantic thing."

_I know... about 19 girls who would beg to differ_, Nicky thought to himself.

"So he tried to get into your pants- well, in this case, skirt," Nicky corrected him self, "big deal!"

"It's a _very_big deal, Nicholas!" Ginger scolded, "Especially when I have told him God knows how many times that I believe in abstinence!"

Nicky was startled by that comment. He had never thought of Ginger as a person who would get drunk every night and follow a drunk man to his apartment, but still, she was pretty damn hot! For once, Nicky had thought Lucy would have a bit of a competition for 'sexiest looking woman on Avenue Q'. It was hard to think that a body like that had never been.. um, 'tainted'.

"Yes, I know, it's hard to believe!" it was as if Ginger had been reading his mind when she had said this comment. "Let's forget we had this conversation, okay?" Ginger took off her shoes using her feet, and laid down in her usual 'movie night' position, her head of Nicky's shoulder, with her legs on the rest of the couch. "What are we watching tonight?"

"How about a musical?" Nicky smirked as he checked that he had Rod's credit card.

"Ugh, I _really_ don't want to watch 'The Sound of Music' again!" Ginger rolled her eyes as she began to imitate Julie Andrews **(A/N: Why did nobody else mention that mess up to me before, people! You should know the difference.. and messing up julie andrews with judy garland is what I do when parents or siblings try to talk to me when I'm busy)**"_The hills are alive with the sound of music!_ It makes me sick to my stomach every time!"

"Not on the T.V., you idiot, on Broadway!" Nicky smacked the back of her head lightly, "Why should you waste a nice outfit like that?"

Ginger blushed at the comment and her stupidity, "Sorry, I always forget we live in subway distance from there!" She started to put her shoes back on and grabbed her coat that she had thrown over a kitchen chair the night before. It was time she saw a real musical on a real Broadway stage.

* * *

**There's another part to this chapter, but I feel bad for not updating lately so you're getting this now, and this will be called something else! **

**Don't worry, I'm not stealing a Broadway chapter from you guys this time! You really will read about them going around in New York City!**

**glpb**


	12. Give My Regards To Broadway

**For all of the people who don't go on dA so they didn't see my journal..  
I sent a fan email to Bobby Lopez.. and he responded! It was about the sexual preference (does that sound right?) of Nicky.. and I'm not gonna tell you what it said because I'm too lazy to go to my email account and quote it, just go to for the whole sh-bang! So, if he or Jeff Marx or anybody else affiliated with Avenue Q is reading this.. hi! And sorry if I put in anything that you don't like! Or if some future songs I write don't really go with your style of music!**

**Also, there are some drawing on dA that show my style of Ginger.. they're a bit cruddy, but they're legless!lol.. well, some, anyway..**

_"Avenue Q²" is not owned, approved, authorized or recognized by Jeff Marx and_ _Robert Lopez. "Avenue Q²_" _does not correctly describe how "Avenue Q" was created, or what Princeton's purpose is according to the minds of Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. Neither "Avenue Q" or "Avenue Q²_" _is authorized or approved by The Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop which have no responsibility for it's content._

* * *

The lights were brighter than ever by the time Nicky and Ginger were crossing a busy street in Times Square. Tourists crowded every inch of sidewalk with their large shopping bags full of memorabilia from their trips. A child was screaming in front of an F.A.O. Schwarz, pointing at a giant elephant. Men in suits were screaming at the taxis that continued to drive by, no matter how long their hands waved in the air. A giant television screen showed the large face of a news anchor who was talking about rising prices in merchandise.

Ginger smiled widely; she was home.

"You _really_like Broadway that much?" One of Nicky's eyebrows was raised; even Rod wasn't this enthusiastic about the Great White Way. **(a/n: for people who were not educated in musical theatre, The Great White Way is another name for Broadway)**

"How can somebody _not _be?" Ginger asked as she started to look through a pamphlet that was practically thrown to her by a man on the street. She passed a second one to Nicky, and they started to read about what was on Broadway.

"Well.." Nicky began to explain.

"That was rhetorical!" Ginger rolled her eyes, "Oh, man! _RENT_'s dark tonight! Bummer!"

"How about _The Phantom of The Opera_?" asked Nicky.

"Ugh, hell no!" Ginger made a disgusted face, "I _hate_Andrew Lloyd Webber! I wish he would just go back to the West End!"

"What's The West End?"

"It's like Britain's Broadway. In a way, I guess you could say it's Broadway's cousin," Ginger shrugged, "the cousin that gets the crappy stuff before you do, so you know what to avoid."

"Okay then," they started to cross the street, but a car passed through the red light. Nicky quickly put his arm in front of Ginger to stop her from walking.

"It's a right light asshole!" Nicky yelled at the blue ford. The man in the driver's seat pegged him off. "Yeah, 'fuck you' too, buddy!"

"There is nothing good tonight!" Ginger complained. "Maybe we should come back another time," she suggested. The Nicky started to smirk.

"I think I have a better idea."

* * *

"Nicky are you berserk?!" Ginger laughed as she saw the horse drawn carriage, "These things cost hundreds of dollars!"

"Not for the rides that aren't reserved," Nicky smiled, "Besides, are _you_ paying for it?"

"No, but neither are you!" Ginger reminded him.

"Actually, these only take cash, so it this time it _is_ my treat," Nicky grabbed two twenty dollar bills from his sweatshirt pocket** (a/n:holy crap, I do too much research on these things)** and handed them to the man who held the reigns. Then he lifted Ginger up into the carriage, and hopped up himself. The two felt a jerk as the horse began to walk to Central Park.

The Park looked beautiful in the fall. Not all of the leaves were the bright shades of red, yellow, and everything in between, but it was still more extravagant than any other park Ginger had been to, which was sort of saying something, since most of her younger days were spent in country clubs with her snooty parents.

Nicky turned to look at Ginger to see if she was enjoying the ride. He could tell she was enjoying it very much, but she still had that hint of annoyance in her eyes from her date with Jimmy.

"You're still pissed at him," Nicky stated.

"Of course I'm still pissed at him, Nicky!" Ginger huffed. "I can't believe he would do something so childish like that!"

"Ginger, he porbably met his most serious girlfriend at a toga party! Nicky shrugged. **(a/n: okay i know i stole that from Howie Michael smith, sue me now)**" He doesn't get how different girls can be."

"Oh really," Ginger rolled her eyes and turned to look at him, "How are we so different?"

"Girls are like..." Nicky thought about it for a while, "girls are like cookies."

"Cookies?"

"Yeah, like," he pondered his thought, " you know you're only supposed to have one, but you wish you could try them all before just sticking to that one cookie. And each cookie has it's own personality."

"Then what kind of cookie would I be?" Ginger asked sarcastically.

"I guess you'd be a.. I got it! Excuse the pun here," Nicky said, Ginger rolled her eyes' he knew what he was going to say, "but you're like a Gingersnap!" He shuffled through his pockets and found a plastic bag with, of course, a gingersnap cookie.

"Do carry baked good everywhere or something?" Ginger questioned.

"No, this was coincidence, I swear," Nicky took the cookie out of the bag and examined it, "They're not like regular cookies,  you know. It's hard to make the recipe just perfect with the right spices. And, if you're like Jimmy," Nicky snapped the cookie in half, as if it was a leaf on that crisp fall day, "you can crumble it with ease."

"Are you saying I'm sensitive or something?" Ginger sounded offended.

"No, just.. easily hurt, whether physically or emotionally."

Ginger laughed at his comment and rested her head on his shoulder. They never mentioned how much this made them look like a couple in Central Park, and how passerbys smiled at what they thought was romance. Nicky noticed something different about Ginger that day...

"Did you swtich shampoos or something?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did, why?" Ginger looked up at him, "Does it stink? It's organic, so, I was afraid it would do something like this an-"

"No, it actually smells nice. Like cinnamon, maybe a bit of nutmeg," Nicky tried to sound casual, but it was hard. Going to culinary school after college, he had always noticed that each chef had a favorite spice or ingredient. Nicky, being very unique, happened to have two favorites, which were, in this exact order, cinnamon and nutmeg. Any girl who knew this happened to use this against him, making meals with these spices to get him back. It had worked once or twice, but usually he was gone the next day, along with the girl's leftovers.

"You're starting to freak me out Nicky," Ginger stated.

"You know something," Nicky said," You got to learn so much about me last week, I think it's my turn now."

Ginger sighed, "Fine, do your worst."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Green."

"Well then," Nicky smirked.

"Don't get all happy, my favorite shade of green is more bright than you."

"Oh. Where did you live most of your life?"

"Newport, Rhode Island. I would think you'd know that, considering Rod lived there too until he moved."

"Okay, okay that was an obvious. What got you into musical theatre and stuff? I know it wasn't New York, since you only saw the place July."

"It was late June! And, mostly because my aunt was a theatre critic."

"Alright. When's your brithday?"

"March 22,1978, just like Stephen Sondheim!"

"Who?"

"Forget it," Ginger rolled her eyes.

"What's with the charm bracelet?" Nicky asked next, pointing to the one and only accessory Ginger constantly wore. It had charms of treble clefs and bass clefs, notes and rests, along with the most common tempo of all.

"Oh, this? Rod got it for me for a graduation gift. We both thought it was cool that he was graduating college when I was graduating high school, so we each got eachother something. You know that 'Broadway Musicals of the 1940's' book he read constantly?"

"That was your gift to him? He's read it at least 30 times!"

"That, and a Judy Garland autograph that I must have spent a quarter of my college fund on!"

The night continued on and on like this, Nicky asking over twenty questions about her life, she answered a majority of them, except for one that was asked when Nicky was opening the inside door.

"Why do you refuse to talk to your parents?" This stopped Ginger in her tracks, the memories hurting every muscle in her body.

"I'd prefer not to say," she whispered.

"Oh, C'mon, it can't be that-"

"No, Nicky, it _is _that bad. Rod's the only one that knows why, or at least, _believes_ that's why," Ginger walked to the bedroom, "Goodnight Nicky."

"Wait, Ginger?"

"Yes, Nicky?"

"I've got one more question."

"What is it?" Nicky could hear her sigh, he could tell the last question had hurt her.

"Would you mind if I called you 'gingersnap' occasionally?"

"As long as it doesn't catch on with anybody else, I'm perfectly fine with it!" he could hear the smile in her voice, "Goodnight Nicky."

"Goodnight, Gingersnap."

"Once again, if it catches on I'll kill ya'!" _Ding!_

* * *

**I swear, I think this is the third chapter I've ended with 'goodnight'! lol.. **

**Well, you know what I like the most, reviews! So, review!**

**glpb**


	13. That Face

**OMG, do you know what I just learned?? The Moon Dance diner is GONE!! It closed like, last year in July.. it's not fair! I was gonna work there and it was gonna be, like, my good luck charm! Not to mention Ginger's kind of working there! It's a good thing this fan fiction takes place in 1999.. but still, this news makes me sad D:**

**Another chapter! Can you believe this is Chapter 13? I sure as heck can't , especially since I'm not even halfway done with this!! Well, anyway, let's continue the awesometastic story!**

_"Avenue Q²" is not owned, approved, authorized or recognized by Jeff Marx and_ _Robert Lopez. "Avenue Q²_" _does not correctly describe how "Avenue Q" was created, or what Princeton's purpose is according to the minds of Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. Neither "Avenue Q" or "Avenue Q²_" _is authorized or approved by The Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop which have no responsibility for it's content._

_'That Face', a song from "The Producers", is owned by Mel Brooks._

* * *

_"A mix tape!  
He made a mix tape!  
He was thinking of me which shows... something something!"_

"Damn it!" Ginger snarled after making a not so very beautiful chord on the piano. "What does it show, Princeton, what does it show?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Princeton shrugged. He was on the floor organizing the messy stack of sheet music by song.

"Oh, gee, I don't know," Ginger said sarcastically, "maybe because you made the stinkin' tape?"

"The line doesn't have to rhyme you know," Princeton suggested, "If you can't think of anything that rhymes with 'tape' just make it something different. It is _your_ song after all."

"Correction," Ginger rolled her eyes, "it's our song. And besides, this is very important! It's the first time we're going to put you and Kate Monster sort of together!"

"How is that important? I thought it was about life lessons, Ginger," then Princeton stopped talking,"what did you do to my storyline?"

"I didn't do anything to your work, Princeton," Ginger huffed,"but I guess you didn't notice that you made your relationship with Kate a pretty large part of the story, which is kind of good, since we now have _something_ that's original to classic musical theatre."

"Well, okay, you're the expert," Princeton shrugged.

"Yes, I am. Thank you," Ginger got back to work. After failing to find something nice that rhymed with 'tape', she gave up, and put that it 'shows he cares'. As soon as she wrote the words, she moved on to the next song, which was on the side of Princeton.

"I thought you were done with 'If You Were Gay'," Princeton said without looking up.

"I am done. It's just nice to practice. Besides, I think I'm going to take out the chords in the bass clef and put something else that I've been working on." Ginger spread out the music and cracked her knuckles,"Tell me how this sounds, okay?"

_(HIGH)C-G-(HIGH)C-G-A-B_

_(HIGH)C-G-(HIGH)C-G-A-.._

_"If You Were Gay_

_That'd be okay_

_I mean 'cause hey_

_I'd like you anyway!_

_Because you see_

_If it were me_

_I would feel free to say_

_That I was gay"_

_A-G-E-(LOW)C_

"That's sounds better," Princeton agreed, "but I still think that it needs something in the end to remind people that Nicky isn't gay. Something that's with the last four notes.

"Okay, how about this.."

_"I would feel free to say_

_That I was gay_

_(But I'm not gay)"_

"But do you think that make more sense if Rod said it at the end?" Ginger suggested as she fiddled with the keys.

"Not really.."

Ginger huffed, annoyed at the fact that the songs were taking longer than she had thought," Whatever, I'll figure it out tomorrow, I have to work."

"It's 5:00pm, doesn't the diner close at, like, 9:00 or something?" Princeton asked as he stacked the music on the piano.

"It's a night job. I've been short on cash lately, so I'm working at The Around The Clock Cafe. Sure," Ginger shrugged as she stood up,"I might get grabbed at a bit by the drunks, but money _is_ money!"

"You spent your last pay check on a fancy pair of shoes, didn't you?" Princeton raised one eyebrow.

"No!" Ginger answered,"... it was a Chanel bag. And it's a real one too! I bought it from the actual store!Just.. don't tell Rod, okay? He'd kill me if he found out!"

"Your secret's safe with me," Princeton laughed as he watched Ginger walk out the door. As soon as she left, Nicky walked right in.

"Hey Princeton!" Nicky sounded nervous. He was twiddling his thumbs as well, "Could I ask you a totally random question that has nothing to do with my actual social life?"

"Um.. okay!" Princeton replied.

"Well, I was wondering- once again, totally nothing to do with my social life-.. how'd you know you loved Kate?"

"What?" Princeton was surprised by that question. After all, he was a guy. Princeton wasn't used to having friends ask about romance or anything girly!

"How'd you know that, you know, you liked Kate Monster?"

"Oh, I got the question, I was just wondering how to answer it," Princeton said, leaning casually on the old piano, "It's a very long story on how I knew."

"Eh, I'm not going anywhere, take your time!" Nicky sat on the piano bench, smiling.

"Well...

_The urge to merge can rob us of our senses  
The need to breed can make a man a drone  
We must be on alert with our defenses  
For every skirt will test testosterone  
So knowing this I severed all connection  
With any creature sporting silk or lace  
I was firmly headed in the right direction  
When suddenly I stumbled on..._"

"What?"Nicky asked excitedly.

_"..that face!"_

"Oh.." Nicky rolled his eyes; he knew he was going to get a sappy, romantic answer to his question. Princeton continued..

_"That face, that face  
That dangerous face  
I mustn't be unwise  
Those lips, that nose, those eyes  
Could lead to my demise  
That face, that face  
That marvelous face  
I never should begin  
Those cheeks, that neck, that chin  
Will surely do me in!"_

_I think I get what he's saying, _Nicky thought to himself._So, that means.._

_I must be smart  
And hide my heart  
If she's within a mile  
If I don't duck  
I'm out of luck  
She'd kill me with her smile_

"Are you still doing your inner singing monologue," Princeton asked, a bit annoyed," or can I continue?"

"Sorry!" Nicky apologized,"Go on, go on!"

_"That face, that face  
That fabulous face  
It's clear I must beware!"_

_I'm certain if I fall in love, I'm lost without a trace!_ Nicky thought once again..

_But it's worth it...  
For that face!"_

"So you're done now?" Nicky asked.

"Yeah, pretty much! Did it answer your question?"

"Not really," Nicky shrugged,"but I can live with it!"

* * *

**The next chapter will be short, sorry, but it will be important, I promise! And sorry for all the lyrics that you've all probably read and know already if you're a The Producers fan, but I love that song (and for people who love the last verse with Ulla at the end, sorry I cut it out!lol..)**

**Reviews are welcome, of course!**

**glpb**


	14. Screw Loose Reprise

****

I am promising you all right now that you will love this chapter a lot! It's probably going to be one of my funniest yet! So, I think we should get to it right now..

_"Avenue Q²" is not owned, approved, authorized or recognized by Jeff Marx and_ _Robert Lopez. "Avenue Q²_" _does not correctly describe how "Avenue Q" was created, or what Princeton's purpose is according to the minds of Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. Neither "Avenue Q" or "Avenue Q²_" _is authorized or approved by The Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop which have no responsibility for it's content._

* * *

That night, Nicky was trying to find a way to distract himself. He had tried numerous options; He tried annoying Rod, but it turned out he was too busy packing for some business trip that he didn't have the time to be annoyed. He called to see if Brian was home, and he was, but he was busy sleeping on the couch, according to Christmas Eve, anyway. He even considering going through the emails that Trekkie had sent him that were filled with, what else, porn, but that just got him a bit disgusted, especially since some of them were probably meant for Rodd or Ricky. So the only thing he had left to do was to grab his gray sweatshirt, go to a bar, and get drunk. Sure, he knew it wasn't the _smartest _option, b it was better than sitting home and thinking of Ginger's cinnamon scented hair that was the color of the fall leaves in a small town in Massachusetts or even, her home state, Rhode Island. He tried to shake those disgusting, sappy love thoughts out of his head as he walked down the street to one of the only places he could afford to go to; The Around The Clock Café. Unfortunately, when he sat down to order his usual drink from his usual bartender, he wasn't there. Instead there was...

"I knew you would be coming here sooner or later," Ginger laughed as she gave him the Jack Daniels and Coke.

"Two questions: How did you know I'd order that, and how are you a bartender? I thought the usual job of future tony-winning actresses was waitressing."

"You always order that," she rolled her eyes, "and I usually waitress, but the idiot who was supposed to take the old guys place-"

"They got rid of Joe?!"

"Not exactly; He retired," Ginger pouted as she passed a Pearl Harbor to a younger man, he almost looked younger that eighteen, "Can I finish my story now?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. Anyway, the girl who was supposed to bartender didn't come at all. It turns out she got some modeling job in Chicago or something. And since I'm the only person in this dump that knows almost every cocktail in the book, and with a bartender's license it's now my night job," Ginger smirked.

_Great_, Nicky thought,_now I can't even be rid of her when I'm, drinking!_

"So, you tryin' to quench your dry spell tonight?" Ginger smirked as she was the counter space beside Nicky.

"What are you taking about, Snaps?" Nicky raise his eyebrows, using his nickname he had given Ginger, sort of. Technically it was 'Gingersnaps', but over the past few weeks of using it, he had gotten lazy, and shortened it to 'Snaps'.

"Oh come, on Nicky," Ginger rolled her eyes, "Even _Rod_ knows you haven't gotten any for like, a month!"

"Gotten what?" Nicky tried his hardest to avoid the subject, causing Ginger to sigh; she knew she had failed.

"Alright, you wanna be that way, fine!" Ginger shrugged, "But I'm just gonna let you know one thing. See Blondie over there," she pointed to a girl across the bar, and she was surrounded by a few empty cocktail glasses, "she just got dumped by her boyfriend of three months, and she's had, like, five appletini's! And I heard her saying something about not wanting commitment any more .. just saying!" Ginger winked, and continued with her job.

Nicky thought about it carefully. The poor girl had just gotten dumped, and thinking about how his "relationships" usually ended, the girl would probably be upset in less than twenty four hours. Then again, Ginger did say the girl didn't want commitment anymore, and if Ginger was giving him tips on what girls would be the easiest to hit on, then she obviously didn't want anything to do with him romantically either.

"Hello?!" Ginger smacked him in the back of his head, "What the hell are you waiting for, dumb ass?! Do I _have _to put it in even simpler terms?"

"No," Nicky laughed, pausing for a moment as he looked over the girl's physical features. She wasn't that pretty, and if Lucy T. Slut wasn't flirting with three other boys in the corner, Nicky would've thought that the girl was her if he wasn't staring directly at her face, "Am I really _that_ desperate looking?" he cocked his head to the side, wondering if she would look better sideways.

"Let me think about that for a second-.. yes!" Ginger smiled as she pushed him off the bar stool, almost causing Nicky to trip, "And don't come back until you get some!" She laughed, but then quickly noticed something, "Or until she kicks you out, whatever comes first!"

* * *

Early the next morning, Ginger was woken up by a loud knock on the door. At first she ignored it, thinking that it would go away sooner or alter, ut then it began to get louder. Ginger growled with disgust.

"How many _freakin'_ times do I have to tell that _idiot_to grab his keys before he leaves the damn apartment," she grumbled, using her vocabulary that was reserved for her 'PMS'-ingweeks, when she wasn't getting any acting jobs (which had been often a lot lately), and when she was sleep-deprived (which had also been more often than usual). As soon as she looked the the peephole, she gasped; S_he_ was back!

"Oh no, oh no oh no oh no!" Ginger worried as she threw Nicky's sweatshirt over her nightgown- it still wasn't enough. Ginger quickly ran to her room, and started digging through her nightwear drawer, "Where did I put that _really_ sexy silk nightgown again?" Clothes went flying across the room, and by the time she had found it, the room looked like a tornado had gotten caught in there overnight. Ginger made a mental note that she shouldn't be a maid for a third job.

"I know you're in there! Well, at least _one_ of you, anyway!"

Ginger needed some type of finishing touch to her 'costume'. She had a eureka moment as soon as she saw the matching jewlery Jimmy had gotten her not too long ago. Ginger stuffed it in Nicky's sweatshirt pocket as she rushed to open the door.

"Oh, good morning, Mary Lane," Ginger said in what Nicky always called her 'acting voice'. She yawned for a special effect, "Oh, sorry about that. I'm just so tired from all the, _ahem_, 'fun' Nicky and I had last night," Ginger smirked as a _Ding!_ went off in her head. _Oh, shut up! That technically wasn't a lie! _She thought to herself.

"Mm mm," Mary Lane's arms were crossed, but they soon weren't, as she pointed a finger at Ginger. Mary Lane's stance almost reminded her of her mother's when Ginger had packed her bags, shoved them into her mint green Volkswagen beetle **(A/N: I know that was a bit MarySue, but I couldn't help it!)**, and had driven nonstop to Rod's dorm in NYU. "Listen, missy, I _know_you're not dating Nicky because _I_ saw _him_ with another girl last night at the Around The Clock Café last night!"

"Well, that simply can't be possible, because.." Ginger thought quickly about an excuse," ..Nicky told me he was working last night."

"Ha!" Mary Lane laughed angriliy, "Nicky doesn't _work_! He mooches off of his friends!"

_Damn it.. _Ginger thought, _she's got me there. _Then Ginger had another Eureka moment. She fiddled around with the jewelry in her pocket, _Where the hell is it, I know I just grabbed it!_

"Well you see," Ginger smiled, "Nicky's being working at a restaurant to pay for this!" _DING DING DING DING DING DING DING! _Millions of bells went off in Ginger's head as Mary Lane stared, her mouth wide open, at the very large ring on Ginger's left hand.

"He's so romantic like that, getting me a pink diamond instead of a white one," _Ding!_Ginger blushed happily, one of the many things she had learned from her acting classes she had taken in Canada.

"But, but b-but," Mary Lane stuttured, her mouth still wide open from shock.

"I know, I thought two months was too short to fall in love like this too, but Nicky's very easy at convinc-"

"I had an excellent time last night Nicky," a girl's voice cut Ginger's sentence off, almost causing Ginger's eyes to jump out of their socket's. She had never been caught telling a lie this big halfway through it.

"Oh crap," Ginger said.

"Yeah, I did too," Nicky's voice replied.

"You freakin' liar," Mary Lane smirked as she ran down the stairs.

"No, wait!" Ginger screeched, following her barefoot. "Slow down, I'm gonna mess up my pedicure if I run any faster!"

"Well, well well," Mary Lane said once she was finally face to face with Nicky. "Look what the alley cat dragged in!"

"Not that I'm trying to be clingy here," the girl from the bar the night before said, "but who is she? And her?" She pointed at Ginger, who was still dressed in her very tiny nightgown that was almost completely covered by Nicky's sweatshirt.

"I don't exactly know," now it was Nicky's turn to lie.

Ginger knew what was going to happen now. Mary Lane would laugh her head off like the crazy person she was, and would tell Nicky that she was now going to be even more stalker-like that ever. Then Nicky would never forgive Ginger for convincing him to go out with Blondie the night before. Maybe he would kick her out of the apartment. They would probably yell about that for days. That gave Ginger an idea.

"Nicholas Marposa, you two-faced, lying, _bastard_!" Ginger stomped up to Nicky and slapped him hard on the face. Only it wasn't a real slap, it was an acting slap used for staging and Ginger's high school production of 'Little Shop of Horrors', where she played Audrey. **(A/N: MGOFOS reference!!! Sort of..)**"How could you cheat on me when we've only been _engaged_ for a week!" She emphasized 'engaged', so he would get what was going on. Surprisingly, Nicky got the picture.

"Gingersnaps! Baby!" Nicky acted out as if he was pleading,"It's not what it looks like, I swear! We had a few drinks, I got a bit drunk, and she let me stay the night because I couldn't remember where I lived!"**(A/N:I almost put a ding here, but then remembered it wasn't Ginger who was lying! LOL..)**

"Oh, please!" Ginger scoffed, "That's what you say every time you get with another girl!Apparently, you're forgetting I was a friend before a lover!"_Ding!"_ Why should I believe you now?"

"Because," Nicky grabbed her hands and got on his knees, "I loved you since the first day I set eyes on you. You the only girl for me, Snaps! I don't know what I'd do without you, babe!"

"Really? Do you mean that?"

"Of course I do! I love you, Ginger," Nicky got up and grabbed her into his arms. It was hard for him to not laugh while he was admitting his love to Ginger in a very weird way.

"Oh I love you too!"Ginger was fake crying when Nicky whispered to her, "Follow my lead if you want Mary Lane to leave me the hell alone, which you should!"

Nicky then kissed Ginger as passionately as a fake kiss could look. But something was different. It didn't feel fake to Ginger _or_Nicky! It almost felt.. nice, as if fireworks would be going off in the background if it was a movie or some Broadway show with a very large budget. They couldn't know for sure though, since Ginger had never been kissed besides the pecks you get from you grandmother every holiday, and Nicky had never really had a fake kiss before.

"No!" Mary Lane cried as she ran down the street. Blondie just shrugged and walked away. As soon as Ginger and Nicky were sure that the two were gone, they quickly pulled apart.

"Why didn't you tell me that's what you were going to do?" Ginger asked annoyingly to hide her excitement and joy, "We could've avoided that just like you avoided a bruise on your face."

"Sure, like you could hurt me that-"

Before Ginger knew she was going to, she slapped Nicky across the face, and this time it was real.

"Ow!" Nicky complained.

"Say it."

"No way."

"Say it!"

"You can easily hurt me or any other man," Nicky mumbled.

"I'm sorry," Ginger smiled, "I didn't hear you. Could you say it louder, please?"

"Ginger Leanne Robyns can easily hurt me or any other man with her bare hands!"

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**Ta da!! Please review, I will give you millions of hugs if you do!**


	15. Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm

**Just to let you know, you are all required to go on and check out KitsuneRagdoll's drawing that she did of Nicky, Ginger and Rod. I won't tell youo exactly what it is, but I'll let you know that it is holiday related, and funny as hell!**

**Ginger: I like the extra touch of Nicky flirting with me  
Me: He wasn't really flirting with you..  
Ginger: His arm was clearly around my waist, which is _so_ flirting!!  
Me: Fine, whatever you say..**

**Also, thanks to everybody who has reviewed!**

_"Avenue Q²" is not owned, approved, authorized or recognized by Jeff Marx and_ _Robert Lopez. "Avenue Q²_" _does not correctly describe how "Avenue Q" was created, or what Princeton's purpose is according to the minds of Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. Neither "Avenue Q" or "Avenue Q²_" _is authorized or approved by The Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop which have no responsibility for it's content._

* * *

That afternoon, Nicky was, once again, watching television. Ginger rolled her eyes as she talked to Rod on the phone at the table behind the couch, which she had placed in the same spot Rod has his own in his apartment. In fact, the whole apartment was very similar in the layout. The furniture, on the other hand, was very different. Ginger had a feeling that if Rod had to live in their apartment, he would likely pass out from the couch pillows not matching.

Ginger sighed as she talked to her favorite- and only likable- cousin. She had gotten used to him being around more often, and since he was on a business trip in Chicago, she wouldn't be able to see him for three whole weeks! Rod had only been gone for three days, and Ginger was already counting down until he got back.

"What does a investment banker do on a business trip anyway?" Ginger whined. "I thought you worked on Wall Street and stuff."

"I do," Rod tried to explain, "It's just that I have this old client who's going to drop dead any minute, and he apparently wants to pass everything down to his grandson, but the problem is that he's only two, so the kid's mom is trying to steal it, and because the guy who wrote the will has no idea abou-"

"Yeah, I get it, it's boring!" Ginger cut Rod off.

"I can hear you pouting, Ginger," Rod laughed on the line.

"Good!"

"Oh, come on Ginger, we didn't even hear each others voices for four years, and now you're upset about me being in Chicago for 21 days? Things like this prove to me why you're trying to be a Broadway actress- you're a total drama queen!"

"Thank you, Roddy. It happens to be my job."

"If you stop complaining, I'll bring you a Cinnabon _and_ I'll let you use my credit card when I get back."

"Check you wallet."

"Why would I check my- hey! Did you really need to take the one with the highest amount that you can charge?"

"No, just for emergencies and stuff."

"Fine, have fun with the plastic. But no stupid buys! Like Prada shoes! Or anything over $500!"

"I know my limit. Kisses." Ginger hung up the phone .

"So gay!" Nicky disguised with a cough.

"Oh shut up!" Ginger threw a pillow at him as she sat down on the couch beside him.

"What are you going to do if I don't? Throw another pillow at me? Or are you going to slap me again?"

"And ruin a manicure?" Ginger made a _pff-_ing noise as she grabbed the remote from him, "I think not! And keep it up, and I'll change my mind about giving you ..- this!" Ginger sat down on the couch and handed Nicky an old book. As Nicky opened it, a small cloud of dust filled his nostrils with a mildew smell. As he got a closer look, he noticed it was filled with handwriting and by the look of it, new highlighting in a various colors.

"'Snaps, what it this?" he asked.

"My ya-ya's recipe book. She gave it to me for safe-keeping a few years ago, since she knows them by heart. Its got lots of cool recipes for cakes and chicken and a bunch of Italian food. You can use it, but just remember," she pointed to the page it was open on, "if it's highlighted yellow, that means you can't make it because it's my grandmother's Greek recipes, and if it's orange, that means you can't use it because it's my great-grandmother's Itailian recipes, and the ones that are highlighted in pink mean that if you make it, Rod will notice, so don't make them while he's around, unless you want us both dead. The ones _way_ in the back are my recipes, so you can tinker around with those if you want to, but I suggest you make the rest exactly how the recipe says."

"So, that means I shouldn't make any of these tonight?"

"Why not?" Ginger asked as she close the cookbook and put it on the coffee table.

"Ginger," Nicky rolled his eyes as he grabbed his sweatshirt from behind the door, "where do you think I will be getting fresh tomatoes at nine o' clock at night?"

"Well, duh! How about the sup-"

"The closet supermarket is a half an hour away by subway," Nicky cut her off and threw Ginger her hounds tooth jacket. It was the middle of September, after all, and New York was starting to get a bit chilly at night, "Besides, I know how you love to use plastic."

Ginger sighed as she stared at Rod's credit card. She held it in her two hands, as if it was a miracle from God, "It _is_ beautiful, isn't it?"

"The way it shines in the light," Nicky urged her on. It wasn't that hard to get Ginger to spend money, especially if it wasn't her own to spend.

"Yeah," Ginger sighed again happily. She bit her lip- was it really worth the cost when instead they could both just make a pot of Ramen noodles, watch a few episodes of _Friends_, and call it a night? "Okay, maybe we could just spend a little bit, but nothing extravagant!" Ginger warned, her index finger so close to Nicky's face that it could poke his eye out, "No lobster, or bottles of champagne, or any other stupid thing! We'll go somewhere cheap."

* * *

Nicky and Ginger settled on dining at a small bistro that night. It wasn't too far, which meant they wouldn't have to be on the subway _too _late at night when they finished, and it wasn't anywhere either of them were working at or had been fired from before. It was quiet, and the scents coming from the kitchen reminded Ginger of the years when her family would get together and have a large Italian/Greek meal. Of course, that was before the days of Rod being openly gay to his mostly homophobic family and Ginger even knowing how to say the term 'musical theatre'. She quickly washed the thoughts of happy memories away with a swish of her Pinot Grigio. Suddenly, Nicky started to laugh.

"What it is?" she asked as she grabbed a spoon and smiled into it, "Is there something in my teeth?

"No, look at that really ugly couple," Nicky whispered.

"Where?" Ginger leaned a bit towards the table so she could hear what he was saying.

"Right behind you."

"Holy crap, they're uglier than a Chihuahua that's been run over by a pickup truck seven times."

"I think the chick's missing teeth."

"There's another couple behind you. They're not ugly, but they look like the _really_ shallow type."

Nicky took a quick glance. The girl was blond, and definitely had fake breasts, which were probably bought by her boyfriend, who had a beard the color of his skin **(A/N: Sorry, I'm watching The Dish as I'm typing this, and she's talking about stupid Speidi, I hate them!)**. "How much you want to bet she's only with him for the money?" he whispered back.

"Ahem," A waitress said, causing Nicky and Ginger to jump.

"Oh," Ginger couldn't think of what to say. She had never been a fan of gossip, but she had to admit, some people around this place were weird.

"So," The waitress said in one of the most monotone voices Ginger had ever heard, including the man on the Clear Eye commercial "What can I get for the most lovely couple?"

"We're not a couple!" Ginger and Nicky quickly stated.

"We're um," Ginger tried to cover the simultaneous talking, "just good friends enjoying a nice, quiet dinner."

"Then, not to be rude, can I ask why you're here on Couple's Night, using our Couple's Night menus, and getting the Couple's Night discount when you are _not_ a couple?"

"Couple's Night?" Nicky raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"It doesn't say anywhere that it's Couple's Night," Ginger shook head, looking up at the waitress, who then, with a forwn on her face, pointed at a giant sign that said 'Couple's Only Tonight' on the window. Then the girl pointed down at the menu, which stated 'Couples only on Thursday. All couples get 25% off meals." Ginger blushed so bright, her face was the color of lavenders. Nicky just bit his lip.

"Check, please," Nicky and Ginger once again said in unison as Ginger quickly slammed Rod's Platinum credit card on the table.

* * *

**lol, just some fun, although some of it is important, though not much..**

**reviews, as always, are welcome! :D**

**glpb**


	16. The Stuff

**Thanks for the reviews, everybody! Here's another chapter! A little fluffy, not really, it has a few important things..**

_"Avenue Q²" is not owned, approved, authorized or recognized by Jeff Marx and_ _Robert Lopez. "Avenue Q²_" _does not correctly describe how "Avenue Q" was created, or what Princeton's purpose is according to the minds of Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. Neither "Avenue Q" or "Avenue Q²_" _is authorized or approved by The Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop which have no responsibility for it's content._

* * *

That night, Princeton decided to sit down and edit his first full draft of the book for the musical. Though he was already half asleep, he knew he had to get it done. It wasn't because he was sick of the spelling errors, or even because he hadn't noted places where songs would be stuck in or created. Princeton was pissed at the ending.

If one could call it an ending, anyway. To Princeton, it just wasn't enough! It didn't tell you flat out whether he got back together with Kate Monster, which he was sure that he would hear about from not only Kate, but Ginger as well. That was what annoyed Princeton about her. Sure, Ginger was perky and funny at times, but she was _very_ picky about what was right, and what would never go in a musical, true or fiction. Not to mention she was a total workaholic, and if she wasn't working, she was shopping. It made Princeton thank God that he wasn't Rod, who was now not only paying for one moocher, but two. Then again, if he was Rod, he'd have a lot of money to give away!

The work was starting to gang up on Princeton, so he reached into his robe pocket as he walked towards to window. He soon found what he was looking for as he sighed with relief. Princeton quietly opened the window, so not to wake Kate, and lit one of his last cigarettes.

Princeton knew smoking was bad for him, but he didn't do it often. The last time he had smoked as much as he had been lately was two weeks before his finals for college. Of course, back then he didn't have to hide it from his girlfriend, who seemed to be catching on because of the stench it left on his breath.

"Have you been smoking again?" Kate Monster would nag after a kiss in the morning, or when she would get home from fixing up the future home of the Montessori School for Monsters, which happened to be opening the next school year.

"No," he'd quickly lie, which would make him feel guilty.

Princeton took another puff after remembering how much Kate hating when he smoked. It was a bit ironic, but it helped. It could be worse though. At least smoking a cigarette wasn't illegal in the state of New York.

Princeton soon heard footsteps coming down the hall. He jumped, dropping his cigarette. He closed the window as fast as he could while he watched the very expensive piece of tobacco fall to the sidewalk below.

"Princeton," Kate Monster yawned, "what are you doing awake? It's three thirty in the morning."

"Just… working a bit," Princeton replied.

Kate rolled her eyes and pouted angrily, "That crazy girl's got you working overtime!"

Kate never really liked Ginger. She did at first, when she had first met her, but once Ginger had a crazy idea to make a musical about Princeton finding his purpose, which he hadn't even found yet, she knew what that would mean, even less time with the man- though he occasionally acted younger- she loved! Kate didn't consider herself jealous, she was just annoyed that they were both busier than ever, whether in the same apartment or not!

"No. No she doesn't, Kate," Princeton wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the check. "Why do you always get so jealous? You're _way_ hotter than her, not to mention smarter, more down to earth, sexier-"Princeton started to nibble on her ear.

"Princeton!" she giggled. She tried to hide her ear between her neck and her shoulder, which only caused Princeton to get fur and some of her chestnut hair in his mouth. He didn't try to get it out though; it would have only gotten Kate Monster even more annoyed at him. "Stop it! Wait a minute…"

"What?" Princeton asked nervously; he had a feeling about what she was going to say.

Kate smiled, "You've got fur in your teeth."

"Oh, it's nothing!" _Thank freakin' god! _Princeton thought to himself.

"That's why I love you," Kate said as she kissed him on the cheek, "I'm going to go back to bed. Are you coming?" She started to walk down the hall slowly, wobbling a bit from her lack of sleep.

"I'll be there in a minute," he answered.

The bedroom door creaked as it shut, the only noise in the apartment buildings. Princeton fumbled in his pocket and grabbed another cigarette. Hit lit it as a pang of guilt crept up inside of him.

"Secrets suck!" Princeton mumbled as he looked out the window. As he looked down below, he could see Ginger and Nicky walking home. Ginger looked exhausted as she rested her head on Nicky's arm, which she was holding on to as well. She looked up, and noticed him outside the window. She nudged Nicky, and motioned to Princeton in the window.

"Hey Kate Monster," Nicky yelled, "Princeton's smoking again!"

"Princeton!"

Princeton jumped and, once again, dropped his cigarette. "Nicky, you're an ass!" he yelled out as he closed the window.

"It wasn't me," Nicky stated as he turned to Ginger, who was still half asleep and leaning on him, "it was your idea to turn him in…"

* * *

**Reviews are ALWAYS welcome, and I allow anonymous reviews now, too!**


	17. Cocktail Counterpoint

_**For the record, I just wanted to let you all know that I've never had a hangover, but it was kind of needed for the fan fiction… don't drink! Ever, it's always nasty ****(Ding!)**** , well, just tequila is nasty, and I only know that because I've smelled it, according to my mom it burns her mouth, but she likes it for some reason…  
And for anybody who doesn't know this, this chapter was named after a song in La Cage aux Folles…**_

_"Avenue Q²" is not owned, approved, authorized or recognized by Jeff Marx and_ _Robert Lopez. "Avenue Q²_" _does not correctly describe how "Avenue Q" was created, or what Princeton's purpose is according to the minds of Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. Neither "Avenue Q" or "Avenue Q²_" _is not authorized or approved by The Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop which have no responsibility for its content_

The sun was shining the next day. The pigeons were cooing, and the leaves were twirling around in the strong autumn wind. Ginger had always loved the sound of the city around her, but today, it was annoying the crap out of her!

"The sun, it burns!" she moaned as she pulled the covers over her head. This surprised Ginger, considering the fact that her 'bedroom' (which was really her large closet that had an air mattress) had no windows… or a bed with covers… or a snoring guy at the floor nest to the foot of the bed. Ginger quickly pulled the covers off from her head, blocking the sun with her hands.

"Nicky?" she groaned as the sound of her voice pained her ears; she had never noticed how shrilly and annoying it was.

"Yes?"

"Why does my head hurt… a lot?"

"Oh gee, Ginger, I don't know," He started to laugh loudly as his got up.

"Argh!" Ginger threw the pillow over her head, "Don't yell; it hurts more when you yell!"

"Maybe because you drank last night," he whispered, kicking the blankets he had used the night before into a corner.

"Don't even think that I will be folding those," Ginger grumbled as she peeked out from the pillow. "And what are you talking about? I don't get drunk! I have the highest tolerance of alcohol and food that could exist in the world! I can eat five chili dogs without getting indigestion! The only thing I can't eat is Mexican food. I didn't eat any Mexican food, did I?"

"No," he shook his head, "we ate at a diner, and then went out for drinks at the Around The Clock Café."

"Great, so I was drunk in front of my co-workers!" she hid under the covers again. "It sucks to be me today… what did I drink?"

"Nothing much, just a few margaritas…" Nicky shrugged, as he closed the blinds in the bedroom. "Is that better?"

"Much better thank you," Ginger smiled and came out from the covers again, but soon got back to business, "what was the margarita?"

"What do you mean? It was a margarita, how much different do they get?"

"The Around The Clock Café has five different margaritas, Nicky!"

"I don't know, it was green, and it was frozen, it had tequila-"

"Oh crap, you let me drink tequila!" Ginger screamed, "Ow, ow, that really hurt!"

"Why would I not let you drink tequila? You're a grown woman, Ginger! I'm not your father for Pete's sake!"

"Nicky, you're anything _but_ my father," Ginger mumbled, her head face down on the pillow. "Tequila is mostly known for its Mexican background, you know."

"I just thought it was Spanish," Nicky shrugged, "But you've seriously never had a hangover before?"

"Well, now I have," Ginger replied without moving; she planned on not moving for a long time.

"Aww," Nicky joked as he petted Ginger head," you poor baby!"

"It isn't funny! It hurts like hell!"

"Yeah, I know Ginger! I've been drunk a _lot_ more than you," Nicky smiled as he walked out of the room, "Just be happy Rod's still gone on his business trip. If he saw you now he'd be saying 'Alberta-'"

"What happened to the rule of _never_ calling me Alberta?" she growled.

"'- Leanne Robyns, how _dare_ you go and get drunk! I don't care whether you are the drinking age, young lady,'" Nicky started to get into the role, pointing his finger at her somewhat lifeless body, "'you do _not_ need to be getting wasted like a college frat boy!'" Nicky walked out of the room chuckling softly.

"I would smile, but it would hurt…"

Ginger had never felt pain like this before. It felt as if she was dying, or if somebody was scratching their nails on one million chalkboards. She tried falling asleep, thinking that if she did she wouldn't be able to feel the pain, but she wasn't able to doze off. If anybody thought she was getting out of bed, they deserved to be chopped up into a meat pie and served to Stephen Sondheim's biggest fan. The only thing that was soothing to her in this state was how dark it was when she would lay face down on the fluffy pillow of the somewhat crumby bed that belonged to Nicky.

_Oh my goodness, _Ginger finally realized, _this is Nicky's bed! Who knows all of the disgusting things that are in this bed?_

After what felt like hours, Ginger felt Nicky sit on the bed. He gently shook her shoulder; he obviously thought she was asleep.

"Come on, 'Snaps, sit up for a minute."Nicky helped her up, propping Ginger against a pillow. **(A/N: what's with me and pillows tonight? Yes, tonight, as I write this it's… oh wait, its 12:01 AM! Note: this chapter was written in a multiple of days) **He was holding a pill bottle and another bottle that was pink. "Take your pick; do you want to get rid of the migraine or the nausea?"

"Why can't I get rid of both?" Ginger whined.

"Because with the amount you would need you would be unconscious for days! Pick one!"

"Fine," Ginger grabbed the ibuprofen and took two of the small orange pills out of the bottle. They were down her throat so fast; it was a wonder that she didn't need a glass of water. "Booze sucks…"

"Only if you drink too much of it," Nicky shrugged.

"Did I drink a lot last night?"

"A glass of wine and one margarita," Nicky laughed.

"Don't even say the word!" Ginger gagged out."Just the sound of it coming out of your mouth makes me want to puke!" Suddenly, the phone rang, "Don't pick it up! I bet it's Rod!"

_Ring! Ring! Ring! Beep…_

"_Hi!"_ Ginger's voice came out of the answering machine, _"You've reached Ginger Robyns and Nicky… something… please leave your name and a quick message and, who knows, we might get back to you!"_

"We really need to change that message," Nicky suggested as he rummaged through his drawers for clean clothes.

_Beep!_

"_Hello, this is Jeanine Clemmons. I was supposed to have a meeting with Ginger Leanne Robyns this morning at nine about being her agent. Please tell her I no longer have any open spots. Thank you."_

"Oh, shit…" Ginger mumbled, and pulled the covers over her head, "Of all the nights to forget about important things that must be done in the morning! How am I supposed to get a Tony like this, never mind five?"She sighed. "I'm a failure in life."

"There are other agents, Ginger," Nicky consoled her as he walked out of the room and grabbing a towel that was on a coat hook behind the door.

"Yeah, well, I had to cut my job hours in half, and now I'm making less money than ever!"Ginger whined.

"Wait, what?" Nicky rushed back into the room, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, why do you think I didn't have to work at the diner today? Now more jobs are being taken by college students, so they're cutting my hours. This is hard, because that means less money, and less money means I can't pay for an agent, which is why I need to get an acting job or a better job _very_ soon!"

"Well, then what are you doing sleeping?!" Nicky asked. "If you need a better job so bad, look in the newspaper or something."

"This is coming from the person who has no job," Ginger replied sarcastically.

"Touché," Nicky said.

"I'll start tomorrow if you do."

Nicky smiled while he shook his head. He liked not having a job, it was kind of fun! "No, but thank you anyway."

"Lazy ass!"

"That's my job, 'Snaps."


	18. Us Together Is Wrong

**I just wanted to thank musicalvampire for the review! And also, if anybody owns the Avenue Q coffee table book and had the time to type up the deleted songs and scenes, that would be VERY helpful for other chapters! :) ****Also, I would like to thank..ugh, i forget her name on and my school won't let me log on to dA for spell checking it so... a reader for noticing a typo that had been there. And it was a very large typo, since I messed up my Broadway actresses and I hardly ever do that! Also, I'd like to thank Mitch-el for helping me with some grammar issues I had with the again!  
Did I mention this chapter has been a total pain in the butt, which is why it took forever to get this one up...not to mention I had to create the frickin' song, and by create, I mean the melody....**

**And on a very important fan fiction note, I have decided to have you all wait no more. I think nine chapters of wondering if this would happen (almost half of them you guys automatically knew this would happen) is good enough. But trust me, this fan fiction isn't even close to half done! Only one small point will be sort of kind of be solved, so, I won't have you wait any longer. Read on!**

_"Avenue Q²" is not owned, approved, authorized or recognized by Jeff Marx and_ _Robert Lopez. "Avenue Q²_" _does not correctly describe how "Avenue Q" was created, or what Princeton's purpose is according to the minds of Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. Neither "Avenue Q" or "Avenue Q²_" _is not authorized or approved by The Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop which have no responsibility for it's content._

* * *

The next few weeks were a- well in Eliza Doolittle's words- a pain in the _arse_ for Ginger. With a _third job_ that was on the weekends (she was playing the piano in the lobby of a fancy hotel. At least it was music related), the musical, _and_ auditions that never ended with a job, it was tough for Ginger to handle everything. Also, she was starting to get bills from banks that wanted her to pay off loans she had used for college. It could have been worse though; At least it wasn't tax season...

Unfortunately, a did get a _bit _worse. Ginger was a bit nervous because she felt as if she was getting a bit closer to Nicky. If she wasn't as busy as she was, this would have been the best thing in the world, but she hardly even had time for Jimmy, and she was avoiding him as much as possible, since almost every time they went on a date he tried to get her in his apartment.

But this was, in some ways, a new Ginger. She didn't have time to fall in love with a guy, she was busy trying to have a steady relationship with The Great White Way! Of course, Broadway was too busy with it's other partners; Mr. Nederlander, Mr. Sondheim, Ms. Lu Pone, and, worst of all, Mr. Lloyd Webber. So for now, she would have to wait.

She still couldn't stop thinking about it though. When the little voice in her head always said _Oh, come on, just make out with the guy, it won't hurt anybody_, Ginger tried her hardest to ignore it, because she knew the little voice was wrong; Lots of people could get hurt. Jimmy would be hurt, if the relationship failed she would be hurt, and, whether it ended up being good or bad, Rod would probably get hurt. After all, she was like his little sister, in the sweet and annoying ways. Would _you_ like it if your little sister went out with your best friend who happened to lose his virginity the same year she found out what the word meant?**(A/N: This makes sense, remember Nicky is one year older than Rod, by my charts anyway, so that makes them five years apart...) **So, in the end, Ginger decided that there was a .0000000000000000000000000000001% chance that Nicky would go out with her. Besides, she liked being friends with Nicky. She could to whatever the hell she wanted to around him, and he didn't give a crap!

That autumn day, Nicky and Ginger were sitting on the front steps of the apartment, doing their favorite day-off (well, Ginger's day-off, anyway) hobby: people watching.

"Eww," Nicky whispered, "that chick across the street has like, four chins!"

"No she doesn't, Nicky," Ginger rolled her eyes. She didn't like making fun of the overweight people, she preferred making fun of the ugly people.

"Yeah-huh, count 'em!"

"One, two, three- oh, yeah you're right! My mistake!" Ginger laughed, causing Nicky to laugh with her. For some reason, Nicky couldn't help not laughing when somebody else started. The woman noticed they were laughing, which caused her to frown in anger.

"Get a room, dickheads!" **(A/N: Is that a real insult? I don't know, I don't say words like that, I leave that to the puppets!) **she snarled as she walked away.

" 'Get a room' ?" Nicky was puzzled, "Hey fatso, that's a crappy comment!" he yelled. **(A/N: For the record, I don't hate fat people. It's just they weren't really made fun of in Q, we were just told that Kate Monster is slightly overweight, which is weird, because she doesn't look like it...)**

"Maybe she's getting us confused with them," Ginger pointed to a couple that was walking hand in hand, "It looks like they're whispering something to each other."

"You know what she's saying?" Nicky whispered into her ear. His breath against her hair was warm, and Ginger could smell that he had eaten the slice of pie she had tried to hide in the fridge. " She's saying 'I can't wait to get married so I can take all of your money and buy seven Chihuahuas!"

Ginger started to snort with laughter as a breeze rustled the autumn leaves. "Give me your sweatshirt," she smiled.

"Why don't you just take the incredibly long walk up the stairs to get your own sweatshirt?" Nicky teased, but he handed it to her anyway.

"Because a: I do not own a sweatshirt and b: I'm a lazy ass," she smiled as she zipped the brown sweatshirt over her maroon blouse.

"Aww," the brunette cooed as she and her boyfriend walked by them, "What a sweet boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Ginger pointed out as the couple continued to walk down the street; It seemed as if the two weren't listening. The small conversation caused a young teenage girl across the street to stare and Ginger and Nicky pitifully, as if she was thinking _Be lucky men close to your age are as nice as the one you have. _

Ginger decided that she had enough of people staring at her. Nicky followed her up the steps as she huffed into the apartment like a young toddler who hadn't gotten a certain toy at the store.

"Oh, some on, Snaps, don't get all upset over it! People just assume we're toge-"

"That's the problem!" She complained. "It happens every time we go somewhere alone. Like the waitress two weeks ago!"

"Now, let's not forget that the whole theme for the night we went there was 'come with your other half and you get half off of both meals'." Nicky sat down beside her, smirking. Ginger threw a throw pillow at him. **(a/n: haha, throw pillow, maybe that's why they're called that!)**

"Would you stop being such as ass for once!" Ginger rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. On her face was the same angry pout Rod had always given Nicky when he did something wrong, like bring home a raccoon or forget to turn the water for the bathtub off.

"I'll stop being an _ass_ when _you_ stop being such a Drama Queen!" Nicky was started to get annoyed. He would always try to make her feel better, and in return he would be insulted.

"F.Y.I. Nicky, _it's my job_!" Ginger glared. She then let out a sigh. "See? This is why we would make a horrible couple."

"Exactly," Nicky agreed, "Sure, we have some stuff in common, but besides the food and the jokes, we're total opposites."

"Right!" **(A/N: LOL, when I wrote those lines I had Racist in my head, so I apologize... anyway, song time! YAY! Crap, hold on, that song's still in my head cause I typed Right! And, because I care about you guys, G means Ginger's singing the lines and N mean Nicky's singing the lines, and if it's underlined both are)**

**THIS IS AN ORIGINAL SONG SO DO NOT SKIP IT OR ELSE YOU WON'T GET WHAT HAPPENED!**

G: _Sure we seem perfect for one another  
As if we're soul mates, or a couple, or two lovers  
But to you and me  
It just simply couldn't be  
Since physiologically we just don't match_

_Although we both share a few preferences  
That doesn't mean people's six senses...es  
_N: Nice line..  
G:Shut up!  
_Can tell us that we're great  
And that it's 'simply fate  
That we both found ourselves a perfect catch'  
_N:_Cause frankly, that's bull!_

G:_For example, I am clean and you are not!  
And, unlike you, I don't enjoy the smell of pot  
_N: It's not pot, it's sage!  
_We just don't have the tastes  
So if we tried, we just would waste  
Time for cooking  
_G:_Or even looking for a song!  
So us together is wrong!_

"You know, there are so many reasons why you and I would make the worst couple in the history of couples."

"Fuck, yeah!" Nicky agreed.

N:_ To pay for all your shopping, I'd have to rob  
The Macy's store or at least get a job  
And if you noticed adding me  
to the working community  
Would make several stocks fall down to their death_

_Not to mention I would like a child or two  
_G: _And if you married me you have no clue  
How much your heart would be sore  
When the only child I bore  
Will be Rod's to name "Bill", or "Jan" or "Seth" **(A/N: There was nothing else that rhymed with death!!)  
**And don't think about adopting a Asian kid named "Long"!  
Cause us together is wrong!_

_G: You say "poh-tay-toh" and I say "poh-tah-toh"  
N: I say "toh-may-toh" and you say "toh-mah-toh"  
_G: Same thing  
N:Is not!  
G: Is so!  
N: Hey, be happy we're referencing a musical to begin with!  
_That's why us together is wrong  
_G:So wrong!  
N:Way wrong  
_Just wrong!_

The two sat there on the couch quietly for a second. After all, all of those things were right. But did that really mean they should never even give dating a chance?

"We could try..." Ginger shrugged.

"Ah, what the hell!" Nicky shrugged as he grabbed Ginger and kissed her deeply, who couldn't help but kiss back. This turned into a pretty lengthy, and somewhat sloppy, make-out session.**(A/N: Sorry, this part is really hard to explain, since every time I have the idea it comes out in stage directions, which do not look well in a fan fiction! Believe me, I tried that two years ago!lol...)** Of course, that was until Ginger fell off the couch.

"Ow! Ow ow ow, oh shit, that really hurt!"

"Are you okay?" Nicky asked.

"I think I banged my arm on the coffee table," Ginger held her arm close to her chest as she still lay on the floor.

"You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Any idea where the closet hospital is?"

"Yeah, but you better hope Ricky isn't working in the E.R. today," Nicky grabbed their coats and made sure he had the metro cards.

"So much for a romantic start to this relationship," Ginger mumbled under her breath as she walked out the door, still holding her arm.

* * *

**Haha! Bet you didn't see that coming! Well, the NickyxGinger, obviously, but not the whole "clumsy Ginger bangs her wrist on the coffe table" ending!**

**I promise I won't make you all wait long for the next chapter, though I think that one will not be as long as this one, but it won't have a song, I promise!**

**glpb**


	19. Poor Thing

****

**Hi everybody! I feel _really_ bad about taking three weeks to write one chapter. So, this one is coming out sooner than before, and it will be almost as long if not a whole lot shorter. I know you guys were either thinking "finally!" or "gosh darn it, I was still hoping that wasn't happen", but remember, it's only october of 1999 right now, this fan fiction goes to July 31, 2003 (opening night for some of you fans who don't know this). Although, I must admit, 2001-2003 will go by in like, two, maybe three chapters in the end....but that's all you're getting for mini-spoilers now! :-P**

_"Avenue Q²" is not owned, approved, authorized or recognized by Jeff Marx and_ _Robert Lopez. "Avenue Q²_" _does not correctly describe how "Avenue Q" was created, or what Princeton's purpose is according to the minds of Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. Neither "Avenue Q" or "Avenue Q²_" _is not authorized or approved by The Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop which have no responsibility for its content_

* * *

One thing Ginger hated the most were hospitals. They were always so sterile and smeeled like needles, and every time a doctor would go by she always had a strange impulse to cross her arms, just in case he or she decided to give her a surprise needle. Hospitals smelled like insulin and death to her, and the children who would cry in waiting rooms quickly got her nervous. And every time somebody who had even the smallest dot of blood on them walked by the room she was sitting in, Ginger had to look down, or else she would gag a little in her mouth. Fortunately, Nicky had grabbed her a Cosmo® magazine to calm her down. She had no idea how Ricky could work in a place like this. Then again, he technically wasn't, since that day he was working in the pediatrics department.

"I hate hospitals," Ginger mumbled as she turned the page of her magazine. Her left arm, the injured one, was close to her chest so it wouldn't hurt as much.

"I know you do 'Snaps," Nicky replied in a monotone voice. After all, they had been there for three hours hours already, and that wasn't including the 50 minute subway ride, and he had heard Ginger state this fact about seven times. He knew it would soon be done with though, they were waiting for x-rays to arrive and to meet the doctor that was probably going to just have to hand Ginger a brace and leave. Sometimes, being a doctor didn't seem so hard.

"Well, well, well," a doctor smirked as he leaned against the door, "if it isn't Miss Ginger Leanne." His hair was blonde and somewhat in his face, but it just made the slim, athletic-looking doctor seem even more sexy.

"Harry!" Ginger smiled as she sat on the treatment table **(A/N: Yes, that's right, they're called treatment tables)**, "I haven't seen you since your high school graduation! I didn't know you enjoyed pain and blood and stuff like this." Harry laughed at her joke.

"And I didn't know you loved seriously spraining you wrist," He waved a large manila folder in his hand. "How's Rod? I haven't talked to him in a few months."

"He's fine, still working in the most boring career field in New York City besides insurance, but what do mean by 'seriously strained'?"

"Well," he explained as he lit up the x-rays, "by the look of these x-rays you'll need a cast for about two weeks, three tops. But it could be worse, you could've needed major surgery."

"Two weeks?!" Ginger was so surprised her eyebrows couldn't have risen any higher," But, Harr- _Doctor _- I have jobs, you know, a majority of which would be very hard to do without a cast. After all, I doubt I'll be able to strech my fingers far enough for a chord on the piano. And it's not that appealing when the lovely woman who's bartending for you has a cast on that's as brown as your friends whot of whiskey."

"Don't worry, you'll proably be able to get paid leave with this," Harry assured her. "But what I want to know is how you managed to do this? Did you go a little overboard with an audition or something; I know you've probably still have that 'five-time Tony-winning actress' goal stuck in your head," he teased.

"Actually," Nicky explained, "it's a pretty funny story. We we're mak-"

"_Making_ a bet," Ginger slapped Nicky with her good arm as she interrupted him, "about who could win three rounds of this crazy new video game first. And when I won the bet, I got so excited that I fell of the couch, and banged my arm on the coffee table." _Ding!_

"Those video games" Harry muttered."Always ruining people brains. Well," he perked up,"Let's get that cast ready! Sir, I-"

"Say no more, I get it," Nicky smiled as he walked out of the room.

"Ginger, can I ask you a seriously question?" Harry sat down on the opposite side of the treatment table, "I'm usually required to ask it to most girls who come in with an injury las serious as this with a gu-"

"What? No, oh my god, Harry, we're not even dating!"_Ding!_ Ginger automaticaly knew he was going to ask that. She was very small, and anybody who knew her during middle school or high school would probably forever think of her as a vulnerable child.

"Okay, okay, I'm just asking. Besides, he could still hur-"

"Please, Nicky gets upset when he accidentally kills a goldfish," Ginger rolled her eyes.

"Fine," he backed off and chnged the subject. "So, is there a color you want in particular for this, or does it not matter?"

* * *

The subway ride home was silent, well, for a subway ride. Nicky would try to talk to Ginger or make a joke, but she just wasn't in the mood. With a cast on her arm, auditions would pretty much be impossible, and if she did go to one, it was very likely that it would make her look like a person who would be easily injured, which isn't good when most musicals include a good amount of dancing. In Ginger's mind, this was all Nicky's fault. If he wasn't so stupidly adorable, she wouldn't have made out with him and had fallen off the couch in the process. When they walked through the door of their apartment, Nicky was still trying to cheer her up.

"Well, at least it's white," Nicky shrugged, "if it was some weird color like neon green it would've clashed with so many things!"

"Hmph," Ginger pouted as she walked to the phone, which was indicating that somebody had tried to call while they were in what Ginger considered Hell on Earth.

"_You have one new message." Beep!_

_' Hey, Ginger, doll, it's Frannie-_"

"Who?" asked Nicky aas he shut the door and went into the kitchen; Hospitals, for some strange reason, always made him hungry.

"My new agent," Ginger explained, a hint of attitude in her voice. The message continued.

"_ 'Anyway, you won't believe what I got for you! The current Mimi in RENT is leaving for three weeks, and the understudy can't do it for family reasons. Anyway, you know how my cousin Bernie helps them with casting and everything, and she helped me help you get a small audition for Thursday so you can do it! If you get it, you gig starts five days later. Doll, you're gonna be a star! And once we do this, we get in an original production, and once we do that you can finally get that damn To-'" Beep! _**(A/N: Do you think that would fit on an actual machine?lol...)**

Ginger? Ginger, are you okay?" Nicky poked his head through the kitchen's entryway. Ginger's mouth was wide open and her face was actually a deep magenta color. Her head turned slowly to Nicky and with a growl she muttered four words, "You...owe...me..._big_!" She sat down on the couch, her face still a bit purple, and she turned on the television. For a second, Nicky thought her eyes were brimming with tears, but as soon as he looked again she just look pissed.

"Aw, Ginger, it-"

"I'm not talking to you!" Ginger spat while her eyes were still glued to the screen. "If you weren't so sexy I wouldn't have fallen off the couch and seriously sprained my wrist. There's no way I'll be able to keep the piano job, the boss is a total jackass, and I was _so damn close_ to finally being on broadway, and a _boy_ steals my chance!" Ginger couldn't help but let one tear fall down to her cheek, but she wasn't going to bawl her eyes out; She didn't feel like messing up her mascara and having to go wash her face.

"Ginger, you won't be able you keep your mouth shut for long," Nicky smirked. He was trying to lighten up the mood, but it wasn't working very well. Ginger stuck her nose up further into the air and changed the channel to the news.

_There's gotta be a way for me to win this battle_, Nicky thought._ Now, If I was a hormonal female actress who just lost her chance at being a Broadway star because she fell off a couch while making out with a guy, what would I want?_ After a while he figured it out. _Hmm, do I have the stuff I need?_

Fourty-five minutes later Ginger was still keeping her mouth shut, and she was still pretty pissed. The news had changed to _Access Hollywood_. Nothing on it interesting her- they were talking about some fancy fossil the National Geographic Society had found- but it helped her ignore Nicky. But then she smelled someting, and it smelled pretty damn good. She had heard Nicky clanging pots and pans earlier, but she thought he was just making a pot of Ramen Noodles, but this didn't smell anything like Ramen Noodles. In fact, it kind of smelled like chocolate.

"Oh, Gingersnaps! How much you want to bet you'll talk to me now?" Ginger stayed silent. "I had a feeling you weren't going to fall for that," Nicky laughed as he sat on the couch with a huge plate of brownies in his hands, "But maybe you'll talk for these." Ginger tried to grab a brownie, but Nicky held the plate up in the air.

"Nice try, but you've gotta say something first," Nicky smirked. Ginger raised an eyebrow in response; Did he really she was that stupid?

"Fine then, I guess I'll eat these all by myself. It's such a shame that your grandmother's recipe is being wasted on a non-relative," Nicky bit a piece off the brownie and chewed it slowly, just to tease her.

"Give me the damn brownie," Ginger tried to reach for one, but Nicky was still enjoying his keep-away game.

"Hold on, missy, you have to say something polite first," he said.

"I'm sorry I blamed you, and i love you very much," Ginger smiled as she hugged him. "Can I have my brownie now?" He handed her a square of the chocoaltely goodness.

"So I only get hugs when I make baked goods?" he joked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Ginger replied, her mouth still full of brownie as she grabbed another one.

* * *

**Reviews are welcome, as always!! :D**

**~glpb**


	20. Milk and Honey

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**Oh my god, chapter 20 already? _Really?!_Holy crap, I've been dragging this thing out, I'm not even halfway done yet! Ugh, well, maybe halfway done, but the plot isn't half way done, since some plot points will drag on longer than others... But really, I guess that's what 7 months does to ya... OMG I'VE BEEN WRITING THIS FOR SEVEN MONTHS!!! Anyway, let's continue.... (by the way, my Author's Notes shall now be centered, along with my discalimer, which is below.**

__

_"Avenue Q²" is not owned, approved, authorized or recognized by Jeff Marx and_ _Robert Lopez. "Avenue Q²_" _does not correctly describe how "Avenue Q" was created, or what Princeton's purpose is according to the minds of Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. Neither "Avenue Q" nor "Avenue Q²_" _is not authorized or approved by The Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop which have no responsibility for it's content._

_

* * *

_

"I have to, darling! It's just the best for the two of us if I leave and never return to-"

"Boring!" Ginger muttered as she changed the channel. In her mind, soap operas were created only to gain film actors more money when they couldn't get casted in a decent prime time television show. "There has to be something better on this thing," she started to channel surf.

It had been about a week since Ginger had fallen for Nicky….literally. The cast on her left arm was starting to get annoying, not only because she had gotten fired from her piano playing job because of it, but also because it was starting to itch. Her other two jobs- bar tending at the "Around The Clock Café" and waitressing at the "Moondance Diner"- had quickly given her paid leave, the diner owners probably gave it to her because they felt bad, and the owner of the café only gave her paid leave because they couldn't find a new bartender to replace her. Besides, all of the drunken male customers adored Ginger and her... assets. Sadly, that was only when they were drunk. If they came in sober the next day, they would stare at her and mumble under there breath "Wow, those looked a lot bigger last night", which caused Ginger to cross her arms over her chest, embarrassed that a random man had just said that her breasts were quite small.

Ginger had absolutely nothing to do in the house. She couldn't create any new music or play the piano; she needed her left hand to play the chords. She had already organized her giant closet three times, the first time by color, the second time by the year the item of clothing was manufactured, and the third time by what she wore the most. She had tried cooking, but that had left a giant blue stain on her cast, which had forced her to wear only the clothing items with blue fabric for the next two weeks.

Rod was still gone on his business trip, and when he had found out about what had happen, he had considered coming home.

"That's why I was planning on not telling you, Roddy," Ginger explained, "How did you find out anyway?" When he had responded that his old high school friend, Harry, had told him about it, Ginger was relieved that she hadn't let Nicky tell him the truth about how the sprained wrist had came to be. If Rod knew anything about the relationship, he would either try to break it up, or complain about it constantly and despise the two of them. So Nicky and she had decided it was best that they keep the relationship a secret.

Unfortunately, the best way for Ginger to keep this secret was to continue dating Jimmy. She was starting to hate that boy, he always wanted to make out with her, and he never considered doing anything nice or personal- well, besides the intimate type of personal. She had a feeling that if she didn't tell the asshole to leave her alone soon, not only would she be stuck with him, but she would go mentally insane!

_Ugh, the things I do to not hurt my cousin's feelings. And he thinks I owe him for some credit card payments_, Ginger thought to herself,_ If anything, he owes _me_!_

"Are you still moping on the couch?" Nicky asked. He meant it in a playful way, to cheer her up and out of her sulky attitude.

"I might be..." she tried avoided the question as she picked at her cast. Nicky noticed this as he walked into the kitchen.

"Don't play with it, you'll just get more annoyed with the thing," he advised over the loud humming of the open refrigerator. The sound of chopping was heard soon afterward.

"I can't help it; If this stupid ass cast doesn't come off soon, I swear I will grab a hammer and get it off by myself," She decided to see if she could possibly pull it off, but it ended her arm hurting so much more that she yelped in pain.

"I _told_ you not to play with the cast," Nicky smirked. Ginger had a small feeling that he had said something else, but she couldn't hear it because he had turned the mixer on.

"What the hell are you making at two in the afternoon?" She yelled, the mixer _whirring_ loudly in the background. The sound stopped for a second, only for Nicky to reply "Mashed potatoes for supper." Ginger frowned, she knew Nicky was trying to cheer her up with comfort foods again. She would have said something, but she decided Nicky's potatoes with chives and cream cheese was much better than the half dead bouquet of flowers she had recieved from Jimmy five days earlier. "You know you're going to have to stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Cooking to make me feel better. If this continues I'll gain who knows how many pounds!"

"Eh," Nicky walked towards the couch, the portable mixer- covered in mashed potato- still in his hand, as he looked Ginger over, "It wouldn't hurt you; You could gain five or six more pounds." Ginger stuck out her tongue in response, and Nicky stuck his out as well, along with poking her small, green nose with the beaters. She shrieked with laughter in response.

"You got mashed potato on my nose!" Ginger quickly covered the mess with her non-broken hand.

"Yeah well, you got nose on my mashed potato!" Nicky teased. He pressed a button on the mixer, which released the beaters for the machine, and handed one to Ginger. He started to lick the metal beater, as if it was a popsicle. Ginger only stared at hers.

"I haven't licked one of these since I was twelve," GInger said as she examined it, twisting it around and holding up to the light.

"God damn, 'Snaps, live a little! You might enjoy it," Nicky grabbed the beater out of her hand and held it out to her face. "Lick it."

"No."

"Do it."

"No, Nicholas."

"Yes, Ginger LeAnne."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"N-" Nicky shoved the beater into her mouth as it was open and left it hanging there. Ginger's face in a matter of seconds changed from surprised, to anger, and then to...well, happiness. She grabbed it and started twisting it around, licking every spec of mashed potato off of it.

"This is pretty good," She said as she continued to lick the beater.

"I told you so."

"No, you didn't," Ginger rolled her eyes, "You didn't say anything about how delicious the potatos were."

"I'm pretty sure I did."

"Well, I'm pretty sure you didn't."

"Did too," Nicky started to argue again.

"Did not."

"Did-" Nicky was going to continue, but he was interrupted by the lips that were currently on his mouth. It was a short kiss though, and it ended quickly. Nicky didn't know if it was because Ginger was trying to be sexy with it or she thought it would lead into another cast.

"Sorry, it was my turn to end it this time," Ginger smiled.

"Ugh, sometimes you are so cheesy," Nicky laughed.

"That's what happens when you watch only soap operas for a straight week," Ginger shrugged as she grabbed the remote again, and continued to channel surf as she leaned on Nicky's shoulder.

* * *

**I'm sorry! I needed a little bit of information out, and now it's half a filler too! I just need chapters to kind of, what's the word, _cushion_ the very important plot lines...**

**Once again, sorry for the fluff, and the fact that it totally adds more Mary Sue-ness....but then again, it's incredibly hard to make an OC completely Mary-Sue less, because then people complain that they're Anti-Sue's and-...yeah, I'll stop now...**

**By the way, I heart reviews!!**

**~glpb**


	21. I'm The Greatest Star

_Hey peoples! I'm SOOO sorry for taking over FIVE months to do this chapter. It's been taking so long because I needed a filler, because the next chapter (which is already written!) is a big one._

_Okay, so I know some of you heard that I was going to make a song for this, but I'm lazy, and changed my mind, because songs take too long and you guys need a full chapter NOW!_

_Also, for any of you people who don't know, Q is closing on Broadway in September D: And yes, it's offical, it's from _

_Avenue Q does not belong to me, it belongs to Jeff Marx and Bobby Lopez. I usually have a big fancy copyright thingy, but I don't have the time to go and find it, because you people need this chapter NOW!_

Sooner or later, everything was normal on Avenue Q. Ginger's wrist was healed, and Rod had returned from his business trip. **(A/N: Hey Madeleine, guess what? THAT'S ALL I HAD WHEN U CALLED ME LIKE, THREE MONTHS AGO! XD. And then I noticed I couldn't write anymore…ugh! And that was two months ago D:)** To celebrate his return, Ginger had cooked a large spaghetti dinner. Nicky offered to cook it, but after asking three times with no response, Ginger had smacked him with the wooden spoon she was using.

"Are you insane?" Ginger snapped. "Only family members can cook from that book! If Rod found out I let you see those recipes, never mind actually _cook_ a few of them, I'd be dead! Not to mention he'd know that something was going on between us; nobody besides me has set their eyes on that cookbook for 7 years! Not even Rod!"

The night was peaceful and full of chatter. Even Kate and Princeton were there. **(A/N: Ricky there's too, but do I really have to mention that?) **Everyone was glad that Rod was back, and most of the night's conversations revolved around what had happened during those long three weeks. But, Rod knowing his place, said that everything was strictly confidential, and would only be revealed to the family members of his late client. Trying to help his friend out, Nicky decided to change the subject.

"So, Ginger," he said, twirling his fork in the large plate of spaghetti, "did you tell everyone about the Off-Broadway audition you have tomorr- _ow!" _he exclaimed as Ginger kicked him in the shin under the table.

"Really?"

"Off-Broadway? That sounds close to the actual thing!"

"Wow, Ginger," Rod smiled, "you've been moving up while I was gone!"

"Well," Ginger explained, "I was trying not to get anyone's _hopes up_," she glared at Nicky, "but it's for a new musical called _The Wild Party_," Ginger bit her lip as Rod spit out the water he was drinking.

"Holy shit, Ginger, do you know who's going to be in that?" Rod's eyes were large with excitement.

"Taye Diggs, Brian D'Arcy James and Idina Menzel," she mumbled out some of the cast. Some of them 'oohed' and 'aahed'; they didn't know who these people were, but they had heard the names from theatre fanatics like Rod and Ginger, so they figured that those three actors must have been very popular.

"Taye Diggs is pretty hot," Kate commented as she ate a forkful of her dinner. Princeton's eyes grew wide at what his girlfriend had said. Kate rolled her eyes, "Don't worry Princeton, he's already dating somebody."

"So, Ginger, are you kicking Idina out of her role?" Rod smirked.

"No, I wouldn't dare mess with her," Ginger shook her head. "They need another female role, and since it's an open call, I decided I would go and take a chance."

"Well, Ginger, goo- _ow!_ Why the fuck do you keep doing that?" Nicky yelled.

"Sorry," she shrugged. "I'm very superstitious when it comes to auditions and opening nights. I never even say that phrase on a normal day." Rod scoffed.

"Drama queen," he mumbled as he finished his dinner.

* * *

The next day, Princeton was upstairs near the piano, looking through Ginger's songs to see if he could add anything to the musical breaks in-between. His face lit up as he thought of a funny joke, but just as he was about to write it down, he heard the door slam behind him. Unlike most people, Princeton did not jump and the loud noise. However, he did forget the punch line.

"Those idiotic, undeserving, disgusting, untalented jerks!" Ginger grumbled and she flopped on the piano bench. She began to play large chords, each one lower and louder then the next. She was beginning to enjoy her musical therapy, until she heard a voice from outside yell, "Shut the hell up!" Ginger stormed her way to the broken window and opened it, the dust from around the windowsill getting into her eyes.

"Screw you!" she leaned outside and flew up her middle finger to the sidewalk down below. She closed the window and leaned against the dirty wall, her arms crossed.

"Someone's quickly becoming a New Yorker," Princeton commented as he wrote something down.

"I'm in a bad mood," Ginger rolled her eyes.

"Oh really? I didn't notice." The two sat in silence for a moment, before Princeton decided to speak again. "Did you screw up at the audition or something?"

"Oh no, I did wonderfully; I think it was one of the best auditions I ever had."

"Then why are you so pissed at life today?" Ginger fiddled with one of the buttons on her sweater, not wanting to answer.

"They didn't like me for my looks. I mean, come on, what's so wrong with me?" she asked.

"After living with Kate, and dating many other women, I refuse to answer that question," his eyes were still focused on the sheet music, as he erased a line and began to write again.

"Why not?"

"My answer always gets me trouble. I either get smacked, yelled at, or ignored for the rest of the night." Ginger chuckled at Princeton's comment.

"Oh come on, I'm an actress," she smiled. "I wouldn't be able to do my job if I couldn't take constructive criticism."

"Well..." Princeton thought about his response, "maybe they were looking for a different type of girl. Maybe one who looked like the typical American girl."

"So you're saying just because I have red hair and I'm a little short makes me un-American?" Ginger lifted an eyebrow.

"No, no no!" Princeton shook his head and groaned. "See? This is what happens when girls ask these questions to men. We try to answer honestly, and you take it in the worse way possible. Look at it this way," he shrugged and handed her the paper he was working on, "now you have more time to work on the musical! You haven't been able to work on it for weeks."

"That is true," she looked over the paper quickly with her eyes. "Aw, to hell with somebody else's work! What matters most is mi- I mean..._our_ musical."

"That's the spirit!" Princeton grinned.

"Mhm," Ginger nodded and handed the paper back to him as she walked towards the door, "by the way, that last joke sucks, fix it."

"Aw, man," he grumbled as Ginger shut the door. "There goes all of today's work."

* * *

_Yay! Next chapter will come sooner than usual, I promise! Like, in the next week or so! _

_Reviews are always welcome_

_~glpb_

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